Jacqueline Freney, born 6 June 1992 in Brisbane, Queensland is a paralympic swimming competitor from Australia. At the 2012 London Games, she broke Siobhan Paton's Australian record of six gold medals at a single Games by winning her seventh gold medal in the Women's 400 m Freestyle S7. In breaking the record she said "Seven, I am in heaven". She finished the Games with eight gold medals.
Freney was born with cerebral palsy. She won a trio of bronze medals at the 2008 Beijing Games in the women's 100m freestyle S8 event, 400m freestyle S8 event and 50m freestyle S8 event. In 2012 at the London Paralympic Games she won gold medals in the women's 100m backstroke S7, women's 50m butterfly S7, 100m freestyle S7, 400m freestyle S7, 50m freestyle S7, 200m individual medley SM7 and 4 x 100m freestyle relay 34 pts.
Freney lives in Ballina, New South Wales and is coached by her father Michael. Her grandfather Peter Freney coached 2000 Sydney Games multiple gold medallist Siobhan Paton. In 2008, she was awarded an Australian Institute of Sport paralympic swimming scholarship.
At the 2010, IPC Swimming World Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands she won silver medals in the women's 100m freestyle and 400m freestyle events S8 events. In 2011, a week before the Can-Am Swimming Open, Freney was reclassified from S8 to S7. At the 2011 Can-Am Swimming Open in La Mirada, she set a world record in the S7 400m freestyle event twice, once during the heats and again during the finals with a time of 4:59.95 on her way to winning a gold medal. At the Can-Am Swimming Open, she won two silver medals in the S7 50m and 100m freestyle events.
In February 2012, she was named Ballina Shire's Sportsperson of the Year.
Paralympic Games:
Gold2012 London 100 m Backstroke S7
Gold2012 London 50 m Butterfly S7
Gold2012 London 200 m Individual Medley SM7
Gold2012 London 100 m Freestyle S7
Gold2012 London 400 m Freestyle S7
Gold2012 London 50 m Freestyle S7
Gold2012 London 4 x100 m Freestyle Relay 34pts
Gold2012 London 4 x 100 m Medley Relay 34 pts
Bronze2008 Beijing100 m Freestyle S8
Bronze2008 Beijing400 m Freestyle S8
Bronze2008 Beijing50 m Freestyle S8
By: Melany Sotto :)
By: Melany Sotto, Aldana Mir, Giselle Perez.
sábado, 29 de septiembre de 2012
Yelena Isinbayeva
Yelena
Gadzhievna Isinbayeva, born 3 June 1982, is a Russian pole vaulter. She is
twice an Olympic gold medalist (2004 and 2008), a two-time World Champion and
the current world record holder in the event. As a result of her
accomplishments, she is widely considered the greatest female pole-vaulter of
all time.
Isinbayeva
has been a major champion on nine occasions (Olympic, World outdoor and indoor
champion and European outdoor and indoor champion). She was also the jackpot
winner of the IAAF Golden League series in 2007 and 2009. After poor
performances at world championships in 2009 and 2010, she took a year-long
break from the sport.
She became
the first woman to clear the five-metre barrier in 2005. Isinbayeva's current
world records are 5.06 m outdoors, a record Isinbayeva set in Zurich in August
2009, and 5.01 m indoors, a record set in February 2012. The latter was
Isinbayeva's twenty-eighth pole vault world record. As of 2012, she remains the
only woman to clear five meters.
First world records and Olympic title
2003 was another year of progression and saw Isinbayeva win the European Under
23 Championships gold with 4.65 m (in Bydgoszcz). On 13 July 2003, just about a
month after her 21st birthday, Isinbayeva set her first World Record at a
meeting in Gateshead, England with a height of 4.82 m, which had made her the
favourite to take gold at the World Championships the following month. She
ended up winning the bronze medal with Feofanova taking gold and Becker the
silver.
At a
meeting at Donetsk, Ukraine, Isinbayeva set a new indoor world record, with a
height of 4.83 m only to see Feofanova increase this by two centimetres the
following week. The following month at the World's Indoor in March Isinbayeva
broke Feofanova's record with a gold medal winning jump of 4.86 m beating
reigning indoor & outdoor champion Feofanova into bronze with reigning
Olympic champion Dragila taking silver. The IAAF considered all three records
to be over-all (outdoor) records, hence the indoor and outdoor records now
stood at 4.86 m
27 June saw
Isinbayeva return to Gateshead and improved the world record to 4.87 m.
Feofanova responded the following week by breaking the record by a centimetre
in Heraklion, Greece.
On 25 July
in Birmingham, England, Isinbayeva reclaimed the record jumping 4.89 m and five
days later in Crystal Palace, London, added a further centimetre to the record.
At the 2004
Summer Olympics in Athens. Isinbayeva won gold medal with a new world record
height of 4.91 m. She subsequently broke the record later that year at the
Memorial Van Damme in Brussels with a 4.92 m jump, her eighth world record of
the season. Isinbayeva was named World Athlete of the Year for winning the
Olympic & World Indoor title and breaking the World record eight times.
Second world and Olympic golds
On 10
February 2007 in Donetsk, Ukraine, Isinbayeva broke the world indoor pole vault
record again, by clearing 4.93 metres. It was Isinbayeva's 20th world record.
On 28
August 2007 Isinbayeva repeated as world champion in Osaka at the 2007 World
Championships in Athletics with a 4.80 m performance, then failed three times
at setting a new world record at 5.02 m. Her competition did no better than
4.75 m.
Isinbayeva
passing the bar in Osaka
In 2007 she
also won the IAAF Golden League Jackpot (which she shared with Sanya Richards)
after having won all 2007 IAAF Golden League meetings. Isinbayeva was unbeaten
in the 2007 season and won 18 out of 18 competitions.
During the
indoor 2008 season, Isinbayeva set her twenty-first world record, clearing 4.95
metres on 16 February 2008 in Donetsk, Ukraine. A few weeks later, in Valencia,
Spain, Isinbayeva won the World Indoor Championships over Jennifer Stuczynski.
It was Isinbayeva's third consecutive World Indoor title.
On 11 July,
at her first outdoor competition of the season, Rome's Golden Gala, Isinbayeva
broke her own world record, clearing 5.03 metres. This was her first world
record outdoors since the 2005 World Championships. Isinbayeva stated that she
had tried 5.02 metres so many times unsuccessfully that her coach told her to
change something and so she attempted 5.03 metres. This record came just as
people began to speculate her fall from the top of pole vaulting, as American
Jennifer Stuczynski cleared 4.92 metres at the American Olympic Trials.
Isinbayeva stated that this motivated her to maintain her reputation as the
world's greatest female pole vaulter. A few weeks later, at the Aviva London
Grand Prix, Isinbayeva and Stuczynski competed together for the first time of
the outdoor season. Isinbayeva won the competition, with Stuczynski finishing
second. Both attempted a new world record of 5.04 metres. Isinbayeva was
tantalizingly close on her final attempt, with the bar falling only after
Isinbayeva had landed on the mat.
She
successfully cleared that height on 29 July, in Monte-Carlo, Monaco, her
twenty-third world record.
At the 2008
Summer Olympics in Beijing on 18 August, Isinbayeva needed two vaults to
prolong her Olympic title reign and went on to finish the competition with
5.05m, a world record at the time, her 24th world record.
2012 Summer Olympics
Yelena Isinbayeva failed to get a historic third consecutive Olympic gold in
the pole vault, on Monday in the London Olympics-2012, and took a bronze medal
which he said gives him strength and motivation to not retire, something he
said to have raised.The new champion was Jennifer Suhr,
who won his title by beating the bar of 4.75 meters on his second attempt.The 'Empress of the pole
"remained in third place with 4.70 meters, behind even the Cuban Yarisley
Silva, who got 4.75 meters, the same height as the winner, but finished with
the silver. Isinbayeva aspired to be the first triple Olympic champion athlete
in individual events.However, the Russian was satisfied
with his performance and to leave with a medal at London 2012, claiming that
this medal has an important effect on their motivation."I'm really happy. This to me
is worth a gold medal.'ve Had many disappointments in the past, in the last
three years. Believe that this bronze is telling Yelena, not pairs , in a
time when I had come to ask, "he admitted after his participation in
London."I do not know what to expect
from Moscow (World Cup-2013 in August next year), but of course I'll be there.
I like to rest, but I do not know.'m Happy that the Olympics are over because
they have been really stressful for me "he said.As part of its strategy to make the
most of their forces, Isinbayeva began her competition with 4.55 meters. When
the bar brilliantly exceeded 4.70 meters gave hope that could be imposed for
the third consecutive time, as in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.The Russian pole vaulter only to
have exceeded 5 meters-eight times world record holder outdoors (5.06 meters),
but in recent seasons had had problems in the big races, since their success in
the capital China four years ago.
Personal life
Her father,
Gadzhi Gadzhiyevich Isinbayev, is a plumber and a member of a small
(200,000-people strong) ethnic group of Tabasarans who mostly live in Dagestan.
Her mother, a shop assistant, is Russian. Isinbayeva also has a sister named
Inna. Isinbayeva came from humble beginnings and remembers that her parents had
to make many financial sacrifices in her early career.
She has
both a Bachelor's and Master's Degree after graduating from the Volgograd State
Academy of Physical Culture. Currently she is continuing her post-graduate
studies there and also studying at the Donetsk National Technical University.
In the
Russian club competitions she represents the railroad military team; she is
formally an officer in the Russian army, and on 4 August 2005 she was given
military rank of senior lieutenant before being promoted to captain in August
2008.
She
features in Toshiba ads promoting their entire product line in Russia. She also
appears in a Lady's Speed Stick advertisement in Russia.
On 2
December 2010 she gave a speech before the FIFA delegates in Zürich. Later on
that occasion it was announced that Russia will host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Yelena
Isinbayeva is now a member of the ‘Champions for Peace’ club, a group of 54
famous elite athletes committed to serving peace in the world through sport,
created by Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based international organization.
BY: MELANY SOTTO.
miércoles, 26 de septiembre de 2012
Eleanor Simmonds
Eleanor
"Ellie" Simmonds MBE (born 11 November 1994) is a British Paralympian
swimmer competing in S6 events. She came to national attention when she
competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, winning two gold medals for
Great Britain, despite being the youngest member of the team, at the age of 13.
In 2012 she was again selected for the Great Britain squad, this time swimming
at a home games in London. She won another two golds in London, including
setting a World Record in the 400m freestyle.
Personal
life
Born in
Walsall, Simmonds grew up in neighbouring Aldridge, and attended Aldridge
School. Simmonds, who has achondroplasia, became interested in swimming at the
age of five.She swam for Boldmere Swimming Club in Sutton Coldfield, under Head
Coach Ashley Cox, but she and her mother moved to Swansea when Simmonds was 11
to take advantage of the city's world-class swimming pool.She trains for two
hours at a time in nine training sessions per week at the Wales National Pool.
In 2008, following her success in Beijing she was made a life member of the
club. To this date she still maintains her links with Boldmere Swimming Club,
swimming at the annual Club Championships and occasionally attending training
sessions when she returns from Swansea.
She also
took part in All Star Family Fortunes which was broadcast on 29 November 2009,
which made her the youngest team captain they ever had on the show. She played
the game with her aunt, trainer, cousin and brother and won,520 for her chosen
charity.
In August
2012, Simmond's former school, Cooper and Jordan, in the Green, Aldridge have
renamed their Swimming Pool after the Paralympian following her gold medals at
London 2012.
Career
At the age
of 13, Simmonds was the youngest British athlete[4] at the 2008 Summer
Paralympics in Beijing, competing in the 50m, 100m and 400m freestyle, 50m
butterfly, and 200m Individual Medley. She won gold medals in the 100m and 400m
freestyle events.
On 1
September 2012, Simmonds repeated her gold performance to win the 400m
freestyle at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, in which she took five
seconds off the World Record time. Two days later, on the evening of 3
September, she took Gold in the 200m Individual Medley, breaking the World
Record that she had set in the qualifying round that morning.
In
addition, Simmonds has won ten gold World Championship titles.
She swims
in the S6 disability category.
By: Giselle Perez
USAIN BOLT
Usain St.
Leo Bolt, ( born 21 August 1986), is a Jamaican sprinter widely regarded as the
fastest person ever. He is the first man to hold both the 100 metres and 200
metres world records since fully automatic time measurements became mandatory
in 1977. Along with his teammates, he also set the world record in the 4×100
metres relay. He is the reigning Olympic champion in these three events, the first
man to win six Olympic gold medals in sprinting, and a five-time World
champion. He was the first to achieve a "double double" by winning
100 m and 200 m titles at consecutive Olympics (2008 and 2012),and topped this
through the first "double triple" (including 4x100m relays).
His 2009
record breaking margin for 100 m, from 9.69 (his own previous world record) to
9.58, is the highest since the start of fully automatic time measurements.
His
achievements in sprinting have earned him the media nickname "Lightning
Bolt",] and awards including the IAAF World Athlete of the Year, Track
& Field Athlete of the Year, and Laureus Sportsman of the Year (twice). He
is the highest paid athlete ever in track and field. He has been called the
world’s most marketable athlete and the greatest athlete ever.
Early years
Bolt was
born on 21 August 1986 in Sherwood Content, a small town in Trelawny, Jamaica,
and grew up with his parents, Wellesley and Jennifer Bolt, his brother Sadiki,
and his sister Sherine.His parents ran the local grocery store in the rural
area, and Bolt spent his time playing cricket and football in the street with
his brother, later saying, "When I was young, I didn’t really think about
anything other than sports".
As a child,
Bolt attended Waldensia Primary, where he first began to show his sprinting
potential, running in the annual national primary-schools' meeting for his
parish. By the age of twelve, Bolt had become the school's fastest runner over
the 100 metres distance.
Upon his
entry to William Knibb Memorial High School, Bolt continued to focus on other
sports, but his cricket coach noticed Bolt's speed on the pitch and urged him
to try track and field events. Pablo McNeil, a former Olympic sprint athlete,
and Dwayne Jarrett coached Bolt, encouraging him to focus his energy on
improving his athletic abilities. The school had a history of success in
athletics with past students, including sprinter Michael Green. Bolt won his
first annual high school championships medal in 2001, taking the silver medal
in the 200 metres with a time of 22.04 seconds. McNeil soon became his primary
coach, and the two enjoyed a positive partnership, although McNeil was
occasionally frustrated by Bolt's lack of dedication to his training and his
penchant for practical jokes.
Personal
life
Bolt
expresses a love for dancing and his character is frequently described as
laid-back and relaxed. Bolt's Jamaican track and field idols include Herb
McKenley and former Jamaican 100m and 200m world record holder, Don Quarrie.
Michael Johnson, the former 200 m world and Olympic record holder, is also held
in high esteem by Bolt.
In 2010, he
also revealed his fondness of music, when he played a reggae DJ set to a crowd
in Paris.
Bolt has
also expressed his love for football and is a fan of Manchester United.Bolt has
also declared he is a fan of Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Bolt was a
special guest of Manchester United at the 2011 UEFA Champions League final in
London, where he stated he'd like to play for them after he retires.
2012 Summer
Olympics
Before the
2012 Summer Olympics in London, Bolt came in second at the Jamaican trials in
both 100 m and 200 m. However, at the Olympics, he won the 100 metres gold
medal with a time of 9.63 seconds, setting a new Olympic record for that distance
and defending his gold medal from the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. He was
followed by fellow Jamaican, Yohan Blake, who won silver with a time of 9.75
seconds.Following the race, seventh place finisher Richard Thompson of Trinidad
and Tobago declared "There's no doubt he's the greatest sprinter of all
time", while USA Today referred to Bolt as a Jamaican "national
hero", noting that his victory came just hours before Jamaica was to
celebrate the 50th anniversary of its independence from the United Kingdom.
With his 2012 win, Bolt became the first man to defend an Olympic sprint title
since Carl Lewis in 1988.
Bolt became
the first man in history to defend both the 100 m and 200 m Olympic sprint
titles. In fact, Bolt was so comfortably ahead near the finish that he was able
to slow down, put his left finger to his mouth and "tell everyone to
shush." As soon as Bolt crossed the finish line, he did five push-ups, one
for each of his Olympic gold medals. Following the race, eighth place finisher
Anaso Jobodwana of South Africa compared Bolt to a "ghost" who
"disappears in front of you". When asked about his greatness as a
sprinter following his victory, Bolt placed himself in the category of Michael
Jordan and Muhammad Ali, in their respective sports. International Olympic
Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge initially stated that Bolt was not yet
a "legend" and would not deserve such acclaim until the end of Bolt's
career, but later called him the best sprinter of all time.
On the
final day of the 2012 Olympics' athletics, Bolt participated in Jamaica's gold
medal-winning 4×100 metres relay team consisting of Bolt, Nesta Carter, Michael
Frater and Yohan Blake. With a running time of 36.84 seconds, they broke
Jamaica's previous world record of 37.04 from 2011. He celebrated by doing the
"Mobot" in tribute to Mo Farah.
At the 2010, IPC Swimming World Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands she won silver medals in the women's 100m freestyle and 400m freestyle events S8 events. In 2011, a week before the Can-Am Swimming Open, Freney was reclassified from S8 to S7. At the 2011 Can-Am Swimming Open in La Mirada, she set a world record in the S7 400m freestyle event twice, once during the heats and again during the finals with a time of 4:59.95 on her way to winning a gold medal. At the Can-Am Swimming Open, she won two silver medals in the S7 50m and 100m freestyle events.
Gold 2012 London 50 m Butterfly S7
