Adaptive rowers primed for Paralympic Games

There is an added air of anticipation as this is the first appearance of adaptive rowing at the Paralympic Games.

Alterations have been made to the Shunyi regatta course. The entrance to the boat bays have been fitted with more suitable ramps and similarly the launching docks are designed for easy wheelchair access. There is a large tent by the docks to store the athletes’ aids; crutches, wheelchairs and the like. Toilets and showers are available to cater for wheelchairs.

All of the boats are supplied by FISA to ensure standardisation with athletes able to add their own riggers and shoes. In the lead up to the Games, athletes have been adjusting their boats to suit and training on the Shunyi regatta course.

Judy Morrison, member of the FISA Adaptive Rowing Commission described the atmosphere as a feeling of excitement. “There is a definite hum in the air.”

Racing will take place in four events; arms men’s single (AM1x), arms women’s single (AW1x), trunk, arms mixed double (TA2x) and the legs, trunk, arms mixed coxed four (LTAMx4+). Six countries – the United States, Israel, Great Britain, China, Canada and Brazil have qualified to race in all four events.

Amongst the competitors experience varies. The youngest competitor, 17 year old Shir Kalmanovitz of Israel, will line up at these Paralympic Games in her first ever international race. She is racing in the coxed four

At the other end of the spectrum, Angela Madsen of the United States has been competing on the US team ever since adaptive rowing was added to the World Rowing Championship schedule in 2002. Madsen will race in the double with long time rowing partner Scott Brown.

The oldest competitor is 68 year old Harald Wimmer of Germany. Wimmer states his profession as retired and will be competing in the double with Siglind Kohler who is 36 years Wimmer’s junior.

These adaptive rowing events will be raced over 1000m. This means the 2000m regatta course has been altered with a floating dock fixed at the 1000m mark. The same starting procedure as at the Beijing Olympics, will be used.

Preliminary rounds will be raced on 9 and 10 September with finals raced on 11 September. Racing starts at 15:00 (Beijing time) each day and goes for about two and a half hours.

The majority of adaptive rowers qualified for the Games at last year’s World Rowing Championships in Munich. There is a quota of 96 athletes – 48 males, 48 females. Coxswains are considered able bodies and thus are not added into the quota.

Adaptive athletes must be officially classified in terms of their physical impairments to ensure that they race in the correct event. The majority of the athletes have been classified over the last couple of years and gained permanent paralympic status (PPS). There are some athletes, like those with progressive diseases, that get reviewed. Some also make improvements, like increased flexibility.

Paralympic Qualification Results

AW1X AM1X TA2X LTAMX4+
BLR AUS AUS BRA
BRA BRA BRA CAN
CAN CAN CAN CHN
CHN CHN CHN DEN
GBR ESP GBR GBR
HKG FRA GER GER
ISR GBR ISR ISR
ITA HUN ITA ITA
KOR ISR JPN NED
POL ITA POL RSA
UKR UKR UKR RUS
USA USA USA USA

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