Kent Olympians – success at Beijing!

Kent’s very own Jamie Staff was part of Britain’s Track Cycling Men’s Team Sprint team which began a positive Veledrome gold rush!

The GB team had lost to France at the last three World Championships but comfortably saw off their rivals by 0.523 seconds.

What he said – “The French have been so dominant. To stick half a second into them, it’s amazing.”

Jamie from Ashford wins his first Olympic medal in Beijing having missed out on the Athens Games in 2004.

Previously a BMX rider, who had won just about everything from the World Championships downwards, he decided that he wanted to win an Olympic medal and turned his attention to Track Sprinting events at the end of 2001.

Qualifying for the GB Cycling Team at his first attempt, Jamie has since produced stunning performances and we are delighted that he has fulfilled his dream of winning a Gold Olympic medal.

Staying with Ashford, we would also wish to congratulate Lisa Dobriskey who came a nail biting fourth in the Women’s 1500m.

The 24-year-old Ashford-born athlete just missed out on the medals in the women's 1500m final despite a blistering finish down the home strait.

Lisa produced a personal best of 4min 2.10sec but unfortunately it was not enough.

Lisa Dobriskey credited double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes for her Commonwealth gold medal in the 1500m in 2006 but was unable to emulate that same success in Beijing.

Lisa admitted she had got her tactics wrong in the final, sitting back too long then getting boxed in the middle of the pack on the last lap.

What she said – “There was more to give, I just missed that tactical thing. At London 2012 I'm going to have some unfinished business.'

 

Kent rowers win bronze at Paralympics

Kent rowing duo Alistair McKean and James Morgan won bronze medals at the Paralympics in Beijing on Thursday 11 September.

McKean, from Herne Bay, and Morgan, from Deal, were members of the Great Britain crew who finished third in 3mins 38.37secs behind Italy (3:33.13) and the USA (3:37.61) in the leg, trunks and arms mixed cox fours final.

Alastair, who graduated from Canterbury Christ Church University in 2005 with a Geography and Tourism degree and a PGCE, said: “It is wonderful to represent my country and receive a bronze medal. Rowing has made its debut at this the 2008 Beijing Paralympics and therefore it is an unbelievable honour to take part.”

Alastair, a geography teacher, became interested in rowing in his early childhood.  His grandfather was a member of Herne Bay Rowing Club and regularly competed in the 1920s. Alastair was keen to follow in his footsteps and started coxing when he was eight years old before rowing at club level. 

Unfortunately, at 19 Alastair had a motorcycle accident where he crashed into the side of a lorry and lost 80 per cent of the mobility in his arm. However, instead of quitting the sport, Alastair turned his attention to learning adaptive rowing, which allows people with disabilities to take part in races.

He first made the adaptive rowing squad in 2003 and last year won gold with the team at the World Championships in Japan.

Alastair said: “It has been an honour for me to compete on the world stage and I am already looking forward to London 2012.  Before my accident, I never thought I would represent Great Britain, but adaptive rowing has given me so many opportunities to re-establish myself as an athlete and get my life back on track.”

Fellow bronze medalist James Morgan had only been rowing in the adaptive squad since 2007, although he has had a long term involvement in the sport since 1993, first in coastal rowing, and only later transferring to river rowing.

Table Tennis player Will Bayley, Kent’s first confirmed competitor for Beijing, was handed a tough draw against top seed Jochen Wollmert from Germany. Wollmert, an Athens silver medalist in class 7, defeated Groombridge’s Bayley in a close match.

Bayley can take heart from his performances in his first ever Paralympics and in the words of Wollmert, "I think he (Bayley) is too young for the Beijing Paralympics, but he trains very hard and I think he has a good chance to win in the 2010 World Championships in Korea."

Kent would like to congratulate all our athletes who competed in Beijing Paralympic Games and guided Great Britain to their most successful ever finish in modern times.

 

Public pay tribute to Beijing Stars

Thousands of fans gathered in London on Thursday to greet Britain's Olympians and Paralympians for a parade to celebrate their Beijing success.

The 12-float procession had cycling star Chris Hoy and swimmers Rebecca Adlington and Eleanor Simmonds heading from Mansion House to Trafalgar Square.
Hoy told the BBC: "It's unbelievable and great to see so much positivity. It's the stuff of dreams."

Hoy and his fellow cyclists Victoria Pendleton, Rebecca Romero and Paralympic champions Sarah and Barney Storey, Rachel Morris and Simon Richardson were the first to arrive by Nelson's Column and were welcomed by the cheering fans. With all the athletes gathered in Trafalgar Square at the end of the procession, Mayor of London Boris Johnson spoke of the legacy of the Games, "I hope there are kids watching today, saying 'that could be me in 2012',"

Following the activities in Trafalgar Square, the Olympians headed to Buckingham Palace for a reception with the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal, who is President of the British Olympic Association. A reception for the Paralympians will be held in early 2009.

London 2012 chief Lord Coe called the athletes' efforts in Beijing as "herculean" and said: "I think what the athletes will be surprised at is still the level of excitement and affection."
Reflecting on London hosting the next Olympics and Paralympics, he added: "It will be a Games for everyone. The real challenge is getting all the kids here today into sport on a regular basis.
"Beijing gave us the most extraordinary platform for the next four years."

Team GB returned from China in August after their best Olympic medal haul in 100 years, finishing fourth in the medal table with 19 golds, 13 silvers and 15 bronze. Ashford born Jamie Staff helped to lead the Great Britain Cycling sprint trio to a stunning victory.

The ParalympicsGB team were Britain's most successful for two decades, winning 102 medals, including 42 golds, to finish second in the table behind the Chinese. Two Kent athletes were amongst the medals in the Paralympics; Alastair McKean and James Morgan picked up bronze in adaptive rowing.

At Kent we want to once again applaud the achievements of our athletes who contributed in Great Britain’s most successful games in 100 years.

We hope to be celebrating the victories of Kent athletes again in 2012!