Wednesday, July 18, 2012

8

Douglas Csima is another member of the men's 8 rowing team. This is his first time attending the Olympics and he is familiar with international competition having medalled in the worlds in 2009 and 2011. He took up rowing after finding out McMaster didn't have a hockey team. He's also a RN and Masters student at The UVic.His twitter handle is @dougcsima.


From a rookie to a veteran in today's post. Diane Roy has been competing in wheelchair racing since 1992 after an ATV accident left her without feeling in her legs. She's earned the nickname the Warhorse. In 2008 she won a silver and 2 bronze. She uses a very specifically designed wheelchair built just for her. She is incredibly committed to her sport training twice a day 6 days a week and in Florida in the winter months. Heading into these Games she's had to overcome what her website describes as a "Gold medal disappointment: 
In September 2008, the Paralympic Games were held in Beijing, China. During this competition, Diane suffered an unimaginable disappointment, the likes of which had never been seen before in competition. In the 5000 m wheelchair final, Diane won the gold medal… only to lose it due to an appeal submitted by 3 countries’ associations after a terrible collision that involved several of the racers.

The appeal committee’s ultimate decision was to invalidate the results of the original final and set a second final race for several days later; this was on top of Diane’s already jam-packed race schedule, not to mention how it affected her psychological preparation.

The race should never have been re-scheduled, since collisions and falls in wheelchair racing are not uncommon. Final races are never re-run, in any sport.

But the real problem with the appeal decision was that it occurred only after the medal ceremony had taken place. There appears to have been a miscommunication between the appeal committee and the medal ceremony committee.

So, after having won the race before a crowd of 90,000 spectators (winning her first gold medal ever at a Paralympic Games), risen to the highest step of the podium, received her medal and bouquet and heard her national anthem played, Diane learned just a few minutes later that the race would be held again!

Diane went from a moment of glory to one of profound disappointment in an instant; this was an incredible injustice and a cruel gesture. The race went ahead a second time and Diane finished in the second-place position, just one one-hundredth of a second away from the gold medal…" (dianeroy.com).


Diane is also an inductee into the Terry Fox Hall of Fame.

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