Australia at the 1992 Paralympic Games for Persons with Mental Handicap

Australia at the Paralympic Games

Flag of Australia
IPC code  AUS
NPC Australian Paralympic Committee
At the 1992 Summer Persons with Mental Handicap Madrid Paralympics in
Competitors 51 in 4 sports
Officials 18
Medals
Rank: 1		 Gold
13		 Silver
10		 Bronze
8		 Total
31
Paralympic history (summary)
Summer Games
Winter Games

Australia participated at the first and only Paralympic Games for Persons with Mental Handicap held in Madrid, Spain from 15-22 September 1992. The Games followed the 1992 Summer Paralympics held in Barcelona, Spain. The Australia Team at the 1992 Barcelona Games comprised 134 athletes and finished 7th on the medal tally. The 1996 Atlanta Paralympics included events for athletes with an intellectual disability for the first time and a separate Games for athletes with an intellectual disability was discontinued.

1600 athletes from 75 countries from competed in 5 sports - athletics, basketball, futsal, swimming and table tennis.[1]Australian Team comprised 51 athletes and 18 officials.[2] It competed in all sports except table tennis.

Australia finished first on the medal tally with 31 medals - 13 gold, 10 silver and 8 bronze medals.[1] Russell Torrance was the male team captain and Sarah-Jane Schulze was the women's team captain.[3]

Swimmer Joseph Walker won nine gold medals and newspaper reports likened his medal success to multiple Olympic gold medalist Mark Spitz.[4] Simmers Joshua Hofer and Rene Hardenbol won five gold medals. [3] Women's basketball team known as the Pearls won the gold medal. [3]

Medalists

Medal Name Sport Event
 Gold Flavel , AntonAnton Flavel Athletics Men's Javelin
 Gold women's team (Pearls), AustraliaAustralia women's team (Pearls)
Lorraine Archer Christine Humphries
Tanya Atcheson Annette Kelly
Donna Burns Tina Kenna
Gladys Delaney Alice Toogood
Melissa Gallagher
Fiona Hinds
 Basketball Women's Event
 Gold Walker, JosephJoseph Walker Swimming Men's 100 m Freestyle
 Gold Walker, JosephJoseph Walker Swimming Men's 200 m Freestyle
 Gold Walker, JosephJoseph Walker Swimming Men's 400 m Freestyle
 Gold Walker, JosephJoseph Walker Swimming Men's 50 m Butterfly
 Gold Walker, JosephJoseph Walker Swimming Men's 100 m Butterfly
 Gold Hardenbol, ReneRene Hardenbol Swimming Men's 200 m Backstroke
 Gold Hofer, JoshuaJoshua Hofer Swimming Men's 100 m Backstroke
 Gold Walker, JosephJoseph Walker,Joshua Hofer, Rene Hardenbol,Jason Cooper Swimming Men's 4 x 50 m Freestyle Relay
 Gold Walker, JosephJoseph Walker, Joshua Hofer, Rene Hardenbol, Jason Cooper Swimming Men's 4 x 100 m Freestyle Relay
 Gold Walker, JosephJoseph Walker, Joshua Hofer, Rene Hardenbol, Jason Cooper Swimming Men's 4 x 50 m Medley Relay
 Gold Walker, JosephJoseph Walker, Joshua Hofer, Rene Hardenbol, Jason Cooper Swimming Men's 4 x 100 m Medley Relay
 Silver Ehlers, MadelynMadelyn Ehlers Athletics Women's Shot Put
 Silver Ehlers, MadelynMadelyn Ehlers Athletics Women's Discus
 Silver Mitchell, PaulPaul Mitchell Athletics Men's 1500 m
 Silver Hardenbol, ReneRene Hardenbol Swimming Men's 100 m Freestyle
 Silver Hardenbol, ReneRene Hardenbol Swimming Men's 200 m Breaststroke
 Silver Hofer, JoshuaJoshua Hofer Swimming Men's 50 m Butterfly
 Silver Hofer, JoshuaJoshua Hofer Swimming Men's 100 m Butterfly
 Silver Hofer, JoshuaJoshua Hofer Swimming Men's 50 m Backstroke
 Silver Hofer, JoshuaJoshua Hofer Swimming Men's 200 m Backstroke
 Silver Van Eyssen, JustineJustine Van Eyssen, Stacey Smith, Brigid Bromhead, Sarah-Jane Schulze Swimming Women's 4 x 100 m Freestyle
 Bronze Flavel , AntonAnton Flavel Athletics Men's High Jump
 Bronze Flavel , AntonAnton Flavel Athletics Men's Discus
 Bronze Freeman, KayeKaye Freeman Athletics Women's Javelin
 Bronze Nugent, RacquelRacquel Nugent Athletics Women's Long Jump
 Bronze Hofer, JoshuaJoshua Hofer Swimming Men's 200 m Freestyle
 Bronze Hofer, JoshuaJoshua Hofer Swimming Men's 400 m Freestyle
 Bronze Van Eyssen, JustineJustine Van Eyssen, Stacey Smith, Brigid Bromhead, Sarah-Jane Schulze Swimming Women's 4 x 50 m Freestyle Relay
 Bronze Van Eyssen, JustineJustine Van Eyssen, Stacey Smith, Brigid Bromhead, Sarah-Jane Schulze Swimming Women's 4 x 50 m Medley Relay

[5]

Administration

Chef de Mission - Marie Little, General Team Manager - Jan Sutherland , Administrator - Colleen Bennett, Media Director - Paul Griffiths
Doctor - Susan White, Physiotherapist - Barbara Denson

Events

Athletics

Athletics team: 12 athletes.
Women - Madelyn Ehlers, Kaye Freeman, Norma Koplick, Racquel Nugent, Anne Walsh [6]
Men - Wayne Bauer, Anton Flavel, Paul Mitchell, Michael Stevens, Russell Torrance, Wayne Wright [6]
Coach - Scott Goodman, [6] Robyn Hanson (Assistant) ; Manager - Wendy Ey

Results: Six athletes won medals with Anton Flavel winning one gold and two bronze medals.

Basketball

Basketball teams: 20 athletes.
Women (Pearls) - Lorraine Archer , Tanya Atcheson , Donna Burns, Gladys Delaney, Melissa Gallagher, Fiona Hinds, Annette Kelly , Tina Kenna , Christine Humphries, Alice Toogood [7] Coach - Margaret Sheriff ; Manager - Robyn Smith[7]

Results: defeated France 48-27 (Donna Burns 22 points); defeated Greece 47 - 32 (Donna Burns 31 points); defeated Brazil 65 - 14 (Donna Burns 36 points, Christine Humphries 13 points) ; defeated Great Britain 60 - 19 (Annette Kelly 18 points, Alice Toogood 12 points, Donna Burns 12 points). Final - defeated Greece 53 - 21 (Donna Burns 24 points, Christine Humphries 14 points, Alice Toogood 8 points, Annette Kelly 7 points).[6]

Men (Boomerangs) - Michael Atcheson,Michael Glover, David Henry, Tony Hopewell, Mark Konings, John Lettice, Rodney Meddings, Lee Medwin, Dean Papworth, John Wright [8] Coach - Mark Walker (Head), Tony Guihot (Assistant) [8]

Results: defeated Jordan 131-13 ; defeated Great Britain 65 - 20 (David Henry 28 points, Tony Hopewell 10 points); lost Dominican Republic 54-111 (Tony Hopewell 20 points, David Henry 14 points); lost 19-137 Puerto Rico. [6] Team finished 7th. [8]

Futsal

Futsal team: 10 athletes.
Team - Jurgen Berens , Stephen Choat, John Fitter, Mark Harvey, Rob Lewis, Luis Marcellino, Willy Moen, Raymond Neaves, John Ruiz, Tony Thompson Coaches - Terry Pearce (Head), Jack De Cesco (Assistant) , Manager - Bruce Drake.

Results: defeated Czech and Slovak Republic 5-1 (Mark Harvey 1, Stephen Choat 1, John Fitter 1 , Rob Lewis 1, John Ruiz 1) ; lost Germany 3-7 (John Ruiz 2, Mark Harvey 1); defeated Colombia 6-0 (Ray Neaves 2, Mark Harvey 2, John Ruiz 2); lost Greece 0-5. [6]

Swimming

Swimming team: 9 athletes.
Women - Brigit Bromhead, Sarah Jane Schulze, Stacey Smith, Justine Van Eyssen
Men - Jason Cooper, Rene Hardenbol, Joshua Hofer, Tim Krahe, Joseph Walker
Coaches - John Boland (Head), Mark Lucas (Assistant) ; Manager - Jill Gates

Results: Australia finished first on the swimming medal tally winning 23 medals - 11 gold, 7 silver and 5 bronze medals. [5] Joseph Walker won nine gold medals out of nine events which at the time was unmatched in Australia's Paralympic history. [3] Joshua Hofer won eleven medals including five gold. Rene Hardenbol won seven medals including five gold. The Men's relay team won four gold medals in world record time. [3] The women's relay team one a silver medal and two bronze medals. [3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Madrid 1992 – the Paralympic Games that time forgot!". paralympicanorak. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  2. ↑ "Paralympics 1992". ACHPER National Journal (Summer 1992): 8.
  3. ↑ ""Remarkable Walker takes a shine to Spitz". Canberra Times. 21 September 1992. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  4. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Madrid 1992 Paralympic Medallists". paralympicanorak. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  5. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Australian Paralympic Federation. "Media Releases Days 1 - 7, September 1992".
  6. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Pearls - History". Basketball Australia website. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  7. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Boomerangs - History". Basketball Australia website. Retrieved 25 March 2015.