LONDON 2012 Paralympics: A round-up of how Leicestershire's athletes are getting on

There is more medal success on the track for Leicestershire's athletes - here's a round-up of who's taking part and how they're getting on at this stage of the event (Tuesday, September 4, 2012).

---

Dan Greaves

Events: F44 Discus

Home town: Leicester

Lives: Loughborough,

Trains: Charnwood Athletics Club

Age: 29

Games attended: Beijing 08, Athens 04, Sydney 00

---

Dan will be competing in the final of the discus on Thursday, when he will be trying to add 2012 London Paralympic gold to his gold medals from the 2000 Sidney Games and 2004 Athens Games.

In Beijing, four years ago, he secured bronze in the event.

Dan, who has talapeze feet, also known as clubfeet, won Paralympic gold in 2000 and 2004 and secured bronze in Beijing in the F44 discus.

He was the first Paralympian selected to represent GB in non-disabled athletics, when he represented GB at junior level in 2001.

Dan graduated with a masters degree in sport science and business management from Loughborough University in 2007.

---

Andrea Green

Events: Sitting volleyball

Home town: Derby

Lives: Derby

Trains: Loughborough Lions

Age: 42

Japan ended Britain’s chances of a medal by inflicting the team’s third straight defeat in the group stage at the ExCel arena on Sunday.

Andrea made her debut at the 2010 Kent International in a match against China, the Paralympic and World Champions in sitting volleyball. That same year, she was awarded the title of GB Sitting Volleyball Player of the Year.

Andrea, who has a dropped foot as a result of nerve damage in her lower spine, works as a physiotherapist.

---

Richard Whitehead

Events: F42 100m / 200m

Home town: Nottingham

Lives: Nottingham

Trains: Southwell Running Club / Loughborough

Age: 36

Games attended: Turin 06

Richard ran a new T42 200m world record in 24.38 seconds in the Olympic stadium on Saturday, shaving more than half a second off his own benchmark of 24.93, set in June, to win the gold medal. He will be hoping to add the 100m Paralympic crown on Friday.

Among Richard’s career highlights is winning gold in the T42 200m at the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand.

---

Stefanie Reid

Events: T44 100m / 200m F44 Long Jump

Home town: Auckland, New Zealand

Lives: Texas

Trains: Loughborough National Performance Centre

Age: 27

Games attended: Beijing 08

Won a silver medal in Sunday’s long jump final, when she leapt to a record for her F44 class. She leapt to a Paralympic record for her F44 class to win silver in the F42/44 combined long jump with a distance of 5.28m. She finished eighth in the 100m final later that day in a time of 14.25 seconds.

Stephanie, a lower-limb amputee, will be hoping to make it through to Thursday’s 200m final when she competes in round one of the event tomorrow.

---

Kieran Tscherniawsky

Events: F33 discus

Home town: Boston

Lives: Sleaford, Lincolnshire

Trains: Loughborough

Age: 20

Kieran will compete in the F33 discus final on Friday, a year after making his major competition debut at the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships in New Zealand.

Kieran’s first major competition was the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The 20-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, cites team-mate Dan Greaves as his sporting hero.

---

Claire Williams

Events: F12 discus

Home town: Carmarthen

Lives: Loughborough

Trains: Carmarthen and District Harriers

Age: 24

Games attended: Beijing 08, Athens 04

Claire rounded off an impressive day for Britain in the Olympic Stadium on Saturday by taking bronze in the F11/12 Discus.

It was the Loughborough athlete’s first Paralympic Games medal at her third Games, courtesy of a fourth-round throw of 39.63m.

Claire, who has a visual impairment, made her Games debut aged just 17, representing Paralympics GB at Athens in 2004.

She finished fifth in the F12 discus.

---

Jessica Frezza

Events: Sitting volleyball

Home town: Bedford

Lives: Bedford

Trains: Loughborough Lions

Age: 19

Japan ended GB’s chances of a medal by inflicting the team’s third straight defeat in the group stage at the ExCel arena on Sunday.

Jessica, a below the knee amputee, was introduced to sitting volleyball by a friend and has quickly progressed through the sport to make her Paralympic debut in London.

---

Julie Rogers

Events: Sitting volleyball

Home town: Bedford

Lives: Bedford

Trains: Loughborough Lions

Age: 13

Japan ended GB’s chances of a medal by inflicting the team’s third straight defeat in the group stage at the ExCel arena on Sunday. Britain needed a win after successive 3-0 defeats to Ukraine and Netherlands in their first two pool A games, but lost 3-0 to put an end to their hopes of progressing in the tournament.

Julie, an amputee, is one of the youngest players on the team.

---

David Phillipson

Events: Wheelchair tennis

Home town: Bingham, Nottinghamshire

Lives: Bingham, Nottinghamshire

Trains: Loughborough

Age: 23

Games attended: Beijing 08

David and doubles partner Alexander Jewitt were knocked out in the second round of the men’s doubles yesterday, losing 6-0 6-2 to Frenchmen Stephane Houdet and Michael Jeremiasz.

He was due to face Japan’s Shingo Kunieda in the last 16 of the singles tournament today, after defeating Canada’s Joel Dembe in straight sets, 6-2 6-2, on Saturday.

David had his first taste of wheelchair tennis at the age of six, while on a family holiday in America.

He has a BTEC in sport science from Loughborough College.

David is also a former wheelchair basketball player.

---

Natasha Davies

Events: Wheelchair basketball, women's team

Home town: Epsom, Surrey

Lives: Ashtead, Surrey

Trains: Leicester Cobras

Age: 21

The GB women’s wheelchair basketball team booked their place in the knock-out phase by defeating Canada in their final Group A game yesterday by 67 points to 50.

It was their second victory in a row after they beat Brazil 42-37.

The wins came after heavy losses to the Netherlands and Australia on the first two days of the Games.

Natasha,@ who is paralysed from below the chest due to virus, is studying at Loughborough University.

---

Emma Hollis

Events: 400m Freestyle / 100m Breaststroke / 200m Individual Medley / 100m Freestyle

Home town: Harlow

Lives: Theydon-Bois, Essex

Trains: Loughborough

Age: 20

Emma goes in the 200m individual medley heats tomorrow (WED) and 100m freestyle heats on Thursday, after failing to make it through to last Friday’s 200m freestyle final.

She also failed to make last Saturday’s breaststroke final.

Emma, who has brittle bones, studies geography at Loughborough University.

---

Crystal Lane

Events: Track cycling - individual pursuit, time trial and road race

Home town: Chelmsford, Essex

Lives: Loughborough

Trains: National Cycling Centre, Manchester, and Leicestershire

Age: 27

Crystal was fourth in the C5 individual track pursuit, which was won by teammate Sarah Storey – Paralympic GB’s first gold medal, on Thursday.

She is gearing up to compete in the women’s C5 individual time trial, held at the Brands Hatch racing circuit, in Kent, tomorrow (WED), and again in the C4-5 women’s road race, at the same venue, on Thursday.

London marks her Paralympic debut. She was inspired watching the 2008 Beijing Games and in 2009 applied for UK Sport’s Paralympic Potential Talent ID programme.

Born with an under-developed left arm, she is studying for a MSc in sport nutrition at Loughborough University.

---

Joe Dodson

Events: Goalball

Home town: Leicester

Lives: Broughton Astley

Age: 27

Joe is a visually impaired athlete who plays for Blaby goalball team.

GB’s men were playing for pride today (TUES) in their final Group A match against Brazil, at 6.30pm.

A 7-3 defeat to Finland on Sunday ruled them out of the out of the quarter-finals.

They lost 11-1 to Lithuania in their opening game, before going down 7-1 to Turkey and earning a creditable 3-3 draw with Sweden.