Waiting for Paralympics 2016

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On the Paralympic side, world champion Sophie Hahn, 16, gets funding for the first time after triumphing in the T38 100m at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon in June.

From BBC

Well deserved - I can still remember her stunning debut for the GB team in Lyon.

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From ParalympicsportTV:

Jarryd Wallace is a US track athlete. In July 2013 he broke the world record in the 200m T44 race with a time of 22.08.

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Sir Philip Craven, IPC President, said: "We are absolutely delighted to announce this two-Games agreement with NBC and the USOC as it provides more airtime of the Paralympics than ever before in the US. Following the success of London 2012, we said it was absolutely essential for the growth of the Paralympic Movement and the Paralympic Games that in future years US audiences had a greater opportunity to watch some of the world’s best elite athletes in action. "This is tremendous news for sports fans, too, many of which will be able to watch a Paralympic Games live for the first time. I am sure they will be as captivated and emotionally enthralled as the billions around the world who tuned into London 2012 last summer."

The USA is finally catching up with the rest of the world as NBC has agreed to provide 116 combined hours of coverage for Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

I was living in New York when NBC only broadcast five and a half hours of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Luckily I was able to time my holiday so that I was in England during the Paralympics and able to watch the wall-to-wall coverage on Channel 4. It was incredible to watch GB Paralympians becoming household names and sporting icons and I hope their US counterparts get the same reaction. 

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Richard Whitehead has completed a marathon challenge that has seen him run from John O’Groats to Land’s End. Completing 40 marathons in as many days, the Paralympic champion – world record-holder over T42 200m, 400m, half-marathon and marathon – has covered an incredible 977 miles (1572km) since August 13. He has raised over £108,000 for charities Sarcoma UK and Scope in the process, a figure that continues to grow. Whitehead, a double leg amputee, has battled both the physical and mental strain of such a task, including severe blisters and sore hips, during his journey across Britain.

From Athletics Weekly - a true champion.

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"VIDEO: Peacock powers to CityGames win"

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Paralympic gold medallist Jonnie Peacock has repeated his call for the Diamond League to include more disability events at its meetings. This weekend's Great North CityGames includes Paralympic events, as did the Manchester CityGames in May. "The Diamond League needs to stop being so cloth-eared and realise what is out there and open the door," said Peacock.

From BBC Sport

I completely agree - I don't see any difference between Paralympians and other athletes and am just as interested in seeing them compete. 

I can't be the only one as shown by the Olympic stadium selling out during the London 2012 Paralympics and this year's anniversary games. 

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Cockroft is encouraged by the number of young athletes coming into the sport since the London Paralympics, some of whom will be hoping to impress at this week's School Games in Sheffield, run by the Youth Sport Trust. "Something like the School Games is very important for giving young athletes something to aim for and the chance to compete at a multi-sport competition," she added. "I competed at it three times and it did help me coming to the London Paralympics.

BBC Sport: Hannah Cockroft targets double gold in Rio despite event change

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Love this ad - if I drank beer it would make me switch to Guinness

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Love the ad for the National Paralympic Day coming up on September 7

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William Araka is a long way from home - and he looks it. A beacon of colourful Kenyan attire adrift in a sea of tracksuited athletes, he sits down and drops his crutches to the floor - crutches to replace the large, wooden pole with which he supported his withered right leg when he first arrived. Araka, who says he is about 40 years old, is Kenya's lone paracanoeist at the sport's world championships in Duisburg, Germany. At home, he is a fisherman. Fishing is a career forced upon him by polio, which he says "attacked" him as a five-year-old.

BBC Sport: Kenyan fisherman beats polio and poverty to paddle with elite

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Dame Sarah Storey starting the gold rush for Great Britain at the London 2012 Paralympics one year ago 

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One whole year since the opening ceremony of the Paralympics in London. One whole year since I became a huge fan and completely changed my perception of disability.

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@chriswatt44: Awesome to see @swimstar2008 coming home from Montreal w/ 4 Golds, 2 Silvers & a WR! 1yr on from this vid youtu.be/zFZYb95rC14 #teamadidas

TeamGB has a new paralympic swimming star - 15-year-old Amy Marren 

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