Paralympics - What sport/events/races have you enjoyed most?

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Due to it being on Channel 4, not getting to watch as much as the Olympics, but I'm enjoying the swimming, cycling and athletics.

Favourite bits of the athletics so far:

David Weir
Hannah Cockroft
Richard Whitehead
Jason Smyth (Ireland) - That was a real wtf?! moment

 

[Dan U]

Ellie Simmons interview right now!

awesome stuff!!

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Ellie Simmons interview right now!

awesome stuff!!

Bitch managed to kick some grit into my eyes

 

[felixthecat]

Bitch managed to kick some grit into my eyes

mine too.

You forget that she's still only 17, still a kid. An amazing performance.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I haven't forgot she's only 17. She still kicked grit in my eyes

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Oh, Jason Smyth on again soon.

 

[QueenOfGoths]

Ellie Simmonds was brilliant, she was under such pressure with everything going on about the re-classification of the USA girl as well as being one of the main faces of the games and coped with it wonderfully...I may have snuffled a bit when she won Plus Hannah Cockroft is such a lovely girl, and from Yorkshire, and a fantastic athlete, such strength

 

[krtek a houby]

Jason Smyth a few mins ago

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Jason Smyth a few mins ago

Did you not see first race when he was on the outside?

 

[krtek a houby]

Did you not see first race when he was on the outside?

Missed it

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Missed it

Definitely worth watching. Enjoyed it more than the one he just won

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Well that was tense! Weir's normally been much further ahead

 

[Maltin]

Well that was tense! Weir's normally been much further ahead

Was good though. Great atmosphere in the stadium and we got to see a british gold tonight.

 

[weltweit]

Earlier I watched Britain v Iran in the blind football.

Iran won 1-0

But the whole thing was just quite amazing really .. I mean they are blind but they play football !!

 

[Maltin]

Looked like GB were in the lead there but the final handover went wrong. Thinks that's about the fourth Russian medal in the stadium tonight.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Was good though. Great atmosphere in the stadium and we got to see a british gold tonight.

My sister's there. Hope she managed to stay awake

 

[Maltin]

My sister's there. Hope she managed to stay awake

I'm a good sleeper but I don't think even I could sleep with that noise.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I'm a good sleeper but I don't think even I could sleep with that noise.

My sister's eyes start drooping come 9.00pm. She's a morning bird, whereas I'm a nightowl. Reckon she'll have stayed. They had originally planned to leave at 9.00pm but then found someone to check on the dog

 

[butterfly child]

I was blown away watching some guys with one leg doing the high jump..

 

[_pH_]

Everything. I got the feeling that some people thought the Paralympics would be the poor relation to the Olympics, an anticlimax. But far from it. The Paralympics have been brilliant, stunning, amazing. And not for some slightly patronising 'aren't they brave, they've overcome such adversity' reason but because every event has stood on its own merits with some extraordinary athletes giving their all. Every event has been crammed full of excitement, the drama has been on a par with, if not better than, the Olympics - I'm gutted I couldn't make it to any of it.

I'd like to see the Paralympics integrated with the Olympics (events according to ability but within one Games). The athletes competing in the Paralympics have shown that they can put on just as good a show as the Olympians, so why not have Bolt and Blake in an 'able-bodied' 100m and Peacock and Pistorius in the T44/T43 100m in the same session in an 80,000 capacity stadium. That would be fucking awesome.

Who's the greater athlete: Hannah Cockcroft or Mo Farah? Pointless trying to decide, they're both the best in their respective events. GO TEAM GB and GO PARALYMPICSGB, you're all heroes to me, how many limbs you've got makes no difference to me.

 

[Wilf]

My best bit was that Brit 'above the knee class' runner who won the 200m. Didn't see it live, just on the news. Wasn't really watching the clip or listening to what they were saying (presumably that he 'started slow and shot through the field'). Just saw the bend bit of the race, pretty normal, then suddenly this bloke flies through. I let fly a proper 'what the FUCK!'

Edit - also, there was a Chinese swimmer today as well. No idea what the category was but he had one arm, above the elbow only. Was moving at an astonishing speed in the freestyle. As well as being massively impressed, I was wondering about him in particular, but also other one limb swimmers in terms of keeping in a straight line. Tricky mechanics.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

My best bit was that Brit 'above the knee class' runner who won the 200m. Didn't see it live, just on the news. Wasn't really watching the clip or listening to what they were saying (presumably that he 'started slow and shot through the field'). Just saw the bend bit of the race, pretty normal, then suddenly this bloke flies through. I let fly a proper 'what the FUCK!'

Richard Whitehead?

 

[Wilf]

Richard Whitehead?

Thassim!

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Everything. I got the feeling that some people thought the Paralympics would be the poor relation to the Olympics, an anticlimax. But far from it. The Paralympics have been brilliant, stunning, amazing. And not for some slightly patronising 'aren't they brave, they've overcome such adversity' reason but because every event has stood on its own merits with some extraordinary athletes giving their all. Every event has been crammed full of excitement, the drama has been on a par with, if not better than, the Olympics - I'm gutted I couldn't make it to any of it.

I'd like to see the Paralympics integrated with the Olympics (events according to ability but within one Games). The athletes competing in the Paralympics have shown that they can put on just as good a show as the Olympians, so why not have Bolt and Blake in an 'able-bodied' 100m and Peacock and Pistorius in the T44/T43 100m in the same session in an 80,000 capacity stadium. That would be fucking awesome.

Who's the greater athlete: Hannah Cockcroft or Mo Farah? Pointless trying to decide, they're both the best in their respective events. GO TEAM GB and GO PARALYMPICSGB, you're all heroes to me, how many limbs you've got makes no difference to me.

I agree with most of that, although not sure about integrating it. Athletes' village would need to be increased in size for a start which would add more cost. Airports/transport would have to cope with even more athletes/support staff. Fewer people would get to see events. For example, all those people after tickets to see Bolt, and putting Pistorius in at the same time, even less chance of getting to see something.

Furthermore, ticket prices would be ramped up. I reckon a lot of the success for the Paralympics was because it was a lot more affordable (especially for families). Think how many kids wouldn't get to see Pistorius, Peacock, Weir, Cockcroft, Simmons, Whitehead, Smyth, Storey, etc. if tickets were the same price as Olympics