| Npc: | AUS |
| Npcname: | Australian Paralympic Committee |
| Games: | Summer Paralympics |
| Year: | 2008 |
| Location: | Beijing |
| Competitors: | 167 |
| Sports: | 13 |
| Flagbearer: | Russell Short (Opening) Matthew Cowdrey (Closing) |
| Rank: | 5 |
| Gold: | 23 |
| Silver: | 29 |
| Bronze: | 27 |
| Officials: | 122 |
| Appearances: | auto |
Australia sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing. The country sent 167 (95 male and 72 female) athletes in 13 sports (out of 20) and 122 officials. It was the country's largest ever Paralympic delegation to an away Games.[1] The team sent to Beijing was described as the emergence of the new generation of Australian athletes with 56 percent of the team attending their first Paralympic Games. The delegation's chef de mission was Darren Peters.[2]
Australia won 23 gold, 29 silver and 27 bronze medals. It finished fourth on the total medal tally and fifth on the gold medal tally.Major sporting achievements for the Australian team included:
| width="78%" align="left" valign="top" |
| Medals by discipline | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discipline | Total | ||||
| Archery | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Athletics | 10 | 9 | 7 | 26 | |
| Wheelchair basketball | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Boccia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Cycling | 3 | 5 | 7 | 15 | |
| Equestrian | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Wheelchair fencing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Football five-a-side | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Football seven-a-side | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Judo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Powerlifting | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Rowing | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Wheelchair rugby | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Sailing | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Shooting | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Swimming | 9 | 11 | 9 | 29 | |
| Table tennis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Wheelchair tennis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 23 | 29 | 27 | 79 | |
See main article: Athletics at the 2008 Summer Paralympics. Jodi Willis-Roberts, Russell Short, and Darren Thrupp competed at their sixth Paralympics. Jessica Gallagher was selected in the team but was classified ineligible to compete. She attended the Games as a member of staff. Australian athletes set six world records, a further three Paralympic records and 16 Australian records during the Games. Heath Francis and Evan O'Hanlon won three gold medals.[3]
| Athlete | Class | Event | Heats | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | |||
| Jonathan Bernard (guide Paul Pearce) | T12 | 400m | 52.11 | 11 | did not advance | |||
| Matthew Cameron | T54 | 100m | 14.92 | 12 | did not advance | |||
| Richard Colman | T53 | 200m | 26.80 | 2 Q | 26.71 | |||
| 400m | 52.38 | 4 Q | 48.92 | |||||
| 800m | 1:39.90 | 6 Q | 1:37.49 | 4 | ||||
| T54 | 1500m | 3:08.18 | 5 Q | 3:02.19 | 9 | did not advance | ||
| Roy Daniell (guide Christopher Tagg) | T12 | Marathon | 2:40:47 | 13 | ||||
| Kurt Fearnley | T54 | 800m | 1:38.79 | 4 Q | 1:39.39 | 6 Q | 1:36.76 | |
| 1500m | 3:06.96 | 1 Q | 3:00.15 | 2 Q | 3:14.28 | |||
| 5000m | 10:13.21 PR | 1 Q | 10:22.97 | |||||
| Marathon | 1:23:17 PR | |||||||
| Heath Francis | T46 | 100m | 11.07 | 1 Q | 11.05 | |||
| 200m | 22.13 | 1 Q | 21.74 WR | |||||
| 400m | 49.39 | 1 Q | 47.69 WR | |||||
| Gerrard Gosens (guide Bruce Jones) | T11 | 1500m | 4:21.00 | 6 q | 4:24.65 | 6 | ||
| Christopher Mullins | T38 | 200m | 25.51 | 14 | did not advance | |||
| 400m | 54.59 | 6 | ||||||
| Richard Nicholson | T54 | 100m | 14.87 | 9 | did not advance | |||
| 200m | 26.37 | 14 | did not advance | |||||
| 400m | 50.36 | 20 | did not advance | |||||
| Evan O'Hanlon | T38 | 100m | 10.96 WR | |||||
| 200m | 22.98 | 1 Q | 21.98 WR | |||||
| Michael Roeger | T46 | 800m | 2:00.40 | 11 | did not advance | |||
| 1500m | 4:09.62 | 7 Q | 3:59.21 | 8 | ||||
| 5000m | 15:36.95 | 11 | ||||||
| Brad Scott | T37 | 200m | 25.06 | 2 Q | 25.09 | 4 | ||
| 800m | 2:02.71 | |||||||
| Ian Speed (guide Zac Ashkansky) | T12 | 800m | 2:01.48 | 9 | did not advance | |||
| Tim Sullivan | T38 | 100m | 11.91 | 7 | ||||
| 200m | 23.74 | 7 Q | 23.62 | 7 | ||||
| 400m | DSQ | |||||||
| Darren Thrupp | T37 | 100m | 12.54 | 7 q | 12.59 | 7 | ||
| Stephen Wilson | T44 | 100m | 11.87 | 5 Q | 11.78 | 5 | ||
| 400m | 55.49 | 5 | ||||||
| Christopher Mullins Evan O'Hanlon Tim Sullivan Darren Thrupp | T35-38 | 4 × 100 m relay | 44.81 WR | |||||
| Aaron Chatman Heath Francis Paul Raison Stephen Wilson | T42-46 | 4 × 100 m relay | 45.80 | |||||
| Matthew Cameron Richard Colman Kurt Fearnley Richard Nicholson | T53-54 | 4 × 100 m relay | 52.60 | 3 Q | DSQ | |||
| Athlete | Class | Event | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Points | Rank | ||||
| Damien Bowen | F33-34/52 | Javelin throw | 26.52 | 994 | 7 | |
| Aaron Chatman | F44/46 | High jump | 2.02 | 1011 | ||
| Rodney Farr | F33-34/52 | Javelin throw | 17.55 | 1003 | 6 | |
| Shot put | 8.49 | 930 | 11 | |||
| Greg Hibberd | F33-34/52 | Shot put | 10.83 | 1004 | 5 | |
| Hamish MacDonald | F33-34/52 | Shot put | 10.82 | 1003 | 6 | |
| Wade McMahon | F37-38 | Javelin throw | 46.71 SB | 970 | 4 | |
| Paul Raison | F44 | Discus throw | 49.77 | 921 | 5 | |
| Shot put | 15.83 | 988 | ||||
| Russell Short | F11-12 | Shot put | 14.79 | 912 | 6 | |
| Darren Thrupp | F37-38 | Long jump | 5.82 SB | 1011 | 5 | |
| Athlete | Class | Event | Heats | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | |||
| Angela Ballard | T53 | 100m | 18.19 | 6 Q | 17.89 | 5 | ||
| 200m | 32.36 | 7 q | 31.81 | 7 | ||||
| 400m | 1:01.02 | 6 Q | 59.82 | 7 | ||||
| 800m | 2:02.56 | 6 | ||||||
| Carlee Beattie | T46 | 100m | 13.70 | 15 | did not advance | |||
| 200m | 28.05 | 15 | did not advance | |||||
| Gemma Buchholz | T52 | 100m | 24.64 | 8 | ||||
| 200m | 44.57 | 8 | ||||||
| Kelly Cartwright | T42 | 100m | 18.36 | 6 | ||||
| Christie Dawes | T54 | 800m | 2:00.21 | 11 | did not advance | |||
| 1500m | 3:35.80 | 10 | did not advance | |||||
| 5000m | 12:31.66 | 6 | ||||||
| Madison de Rozario | T54 | 100m | 17.44 | 8 Q | 17.21 | 8 | ||
| 400m | 59.78 | 10 | did not advance | |||||
| Courtney Harbeck | T13 | 100m | 13.03 | 9 | did not advance | |||
| 200m | 27.73 | 10 | did not advance | |||||
| Lisa McIntosh | T37 | 100m | 14.27 | 1 Q | 14.14 | |||
| 200m | 29.18 | 1 Q | 29.28 | |||||
| Kirrilee McPherson | T38 | 100m | 15.29 | 9 | did not advance | |||
| 200m | 31.97 | 10 | did not advance | |||||
| Jemima Moore | T54 | 200m | 32.99 | 11 | did not advance | |||
| Katy Parrish | T38 | 100m | 14.31 | 4 Q | DNS | |||
| 200m | 30.46 | 5 Q | 30.46 | 5 | ||||
| Tahlia Rotumah | T37 | 100m | 15.22 | 10 | did not advance | |||
| 200m | 31.79 | 9 | did not advance | |||||
| Julie Smith | T46 | 100m | 12.65 | 3 Q | 12.74 | 4 | ||
| 200m | 26.37 | 2 Q | 26.03 | |||||
| Christine Wolf | T42 | 100m | 17.49 | |||||
| Angela Ballard Christie Dawes Madison de Rozario Jemima Moore | T53-54 | 4 × 100 m relay | 1:01.91 | |||||
| Athlete | Class | Event | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Points | Rank | |||||
| Jennifer Bryce | F54-56 | Javelin throw | 17.88 | 898 | 11 | ||
| Shot put | 7.85 SB | 954 | 8 | ||||
| Louise Ellery | F32-34/52-53 | Shot put | 5.07 | 997 | 6 | ||
| Amanda Fraser | F37-38 | Discus throw | 29.73 SB | 1012 | |||
| Shot put | 10.52 SB | 1026 | 4 | ||||
| Madeleine Hogan | F42-46 | Javelin throw | 38.89 SB | 1062 | |||
| Brydee Moore | F32-34/51-53 | Discus throw | 16.02 | 1061 | 5 | ||
| F32-34/52-53 | Shot put | 6.38 | 1005 | 5 | |||
| F33-34/52-53 | Javelin throw | 11.60 | 856 | 13 | |||
| Kath Proudfoot | F35-36 | Discus throw | 23.91 | 1111 | |||
| Shot put | 8.35 | 938 | 4 | ||||
| Charlotte Saville | F35-38 | Javelin throw | 22.78 | 959 | 10 | ||
| Noni Thompson | F35-36 | Discus throw | 15.21 | 707 | 10 | ||
| Shot put | 6.07 | 682 | 11 | ||||
| Jodi Willis-Roberts | F12-13 | Shot put | 11.21 | 898 | |||
| Christine Wolf | F42 | Long jump | 3.73 WR | style="text-align:center;" | - | ||
Coaches – Scott Goodman (Head Coach), Alison O'Riordan, Andrew Dawes, Brett Jones, Louise Sauvage, Iryna Dvoskina, John Minns, John Eden, Alan Makin, Cathy Raha-Lambert
Officials – Gary Lees (Section Manager), Louise Mogg (Section Manager),Andrew Carter, Rowena Toppenberg, Sian Pugh, Mick Jordan, Phil Power, Steve Butler, Stephanie Martin, Jessica Gallagher
See main article: Cycling at the 2008 Summer Paralympics. Included on the Australian team was Michael Milton, a four-time gold medalist as a skier in the Winter Paralympics.[4] Mark le Flohic, gold medalist at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Paralympics, was to take part in the Beijing Games but had to pull out due to injury. Le Flohic broke his collar bone during training one week before the Games were to begin.[5]
| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Gallagher | Men's road time trial LC1 | 35:29.74 | 5 |
| Men's road race LC1/LC2/CP4 | 1:46:03 | ||
| Michael Milton | Men's road race LC1/LC2/CP4 | 1:49:29 | 21 |
| Christopher Scott | Men's road time trial CP4 | 35:55.99 | |
| Men's road race LC1/LC2/CP4 | 1:46:18 | 14 | |
| Bryce Lindores Steven George (pilot) | Men's road race B&VU 1-3 | DNF | |
| Kieran Modra Tyson Lawrence (pilot) | Men's road time trial B&VI 1-3 | 33:03.24 | 5 |
| Men's road race B&VI 1-3 | 2:24:55 | 11 | |
| Athlete | Event | Qualification | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Opposition Time | Rank | ||
| Greg Ball | Men's 1km time trial LC3-4 | 1:17.681 | |||||||
| Michael Gallagher | Men's 1km time trial LC1 | 1:11.01 | 4 | ||||||
| Men's individual pursuit LC1 | 4:40.65 PR | 1 Q | W 4:43.28 | ||||||
| Michael Milton | Men's 1km time trial LC3-4 | 1:21.578 | 9 | ||||||
| Men's individual pursuit LC3 | 4:10.44 | 8 | did not advance | ||||||
| Christopher Scott | Men's 1km time trial CP4 | 1:12.23 | |||||||
| Men's individual pursuit CP4 | 3:38.205 | 2 Q | W 3:40.144 | ||||||
| Ben Demery Shaun Hopkins (pilot) | Men's 1km time trial B&VI 1-3 | 1:03.718 | |||||||
| Men's sprint | 10.629 | 2 Q | W 11.053 W 11.405 | Q | W 11.553 | Q | L | ||
| Bryce Lindores Steven George (pilot) | Men's 1km time trial B&VI 1-3 | 1:04.792 | 6 | ||||||
| Men's individual pursuit B&VI 1-3 | 4:27.578 | 4 q | W 4:26.626 | ||||||
| Kieran Modra Tyson Lawrence (pilot) | Men's 1km time trial B&VI 1-3 | 1:04.053 | |||||||
| Men's individual pursuit B&VI 1-3 | 4:18.961 WR | 1 Q | W 4:18.166 WR | ||||||
| Greg Ball Michael Gallagher Christopher Scott | Men's team sprint | 54.585 | 4 q | L 54.239 | 4 | ||||
| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jane Armstrong | Women's LC3/LC4/CP3 | 50:51.82 | 10 |
| Mel Leckie | Women's road time trial HC A/HC B/HC C | 30:32.61 | 6 |
| Women's road race HC A/B/C | 1:31:14 | 8 | |
| Jayme Paris | Women's road time trial LC3/LC4/CP3 | 52:51.82 | 8 |
| Lindy Hou Toireasa Gallagher (pilot) | Women's road time trial B&VI 1-3 | 39:01:62 | 4 |
| Women's road race B&VI 1-3 | 2:01:17 | 4 |
| Athlete | Event | Qualification | 1st round | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Opposition Time | Rank | ||
| Jane Armstrong | Women's individual pursuit LC3-4/CP3 | 4:35.768 | 7 | did not advance | |||
| Women's 1km time trial LC3-4/CP3 | 45.402 | 4 | |||||
| Jayme Paris | Women's individual pursuit LC3-4/CP3 | 4:24.666 | 4 q | L 4:26.587 | 4 | ||
| Women's 1km time trial LC3-4/CP3 | 44.490 | ||||||
| Lindy Hou Katie Parker (pilot - time trial) Toireasa Gallagher (pilot - ind. pursuit) | Women's individual pursuit B&VI 1-3 | 3:38.085 | 1 Q | L 3:41.494 | |||
| Women's 1km time trial B&VI 1-3 | 1:12.463 | ||||||
| Felicity Johnson Katie Parker (pilot) | Women's 1km time trial B&VI 1-3 | 1:10.465 | |||||
Coaches – James Victor (Head Coach), Tom Skulander, Paul Martens Officials – Mark Fulcher (Section Manager), Brett Hidson, Anouska Edwards, Alan Downes, Mark Bullen, Stuart Smith, Murray Lydeamore.[3]
See main article: Equestrian at the 2008 Summer Paralympics.
| Athlete | Horse | Event | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Rank | |||
| Grace Bowman | Yv Mt Batton | Mixed individual championship test grade Ib | 56.286 | 15 |
| Mixed individual freestyle test grade Ib | 61.611 | 12 | ||
| Georgia Bruce | V Salute | Mixed individual championship test grade IV | 68.258 | |
| Mixed individual freestyle test grade IV | 74.319 | |||
| Sharon Jarvis | Odorado | Mixed individual championship test grade III | 69.200 | 4 |
| Mixed individual freestyle test grade III | 69.446 | 7 | ||
| Nicole Kullen | Nomination | Mixed individual championship test grade Ib | 59.905 | 11 |
| Mixed individual freestyle test grade Ib | 66.110 | 4 | ||
| Jan Pike | Griffin | Mixed individual championship test grade Ia | 60.000 | 9 |
| Mixed individual freestyle test grade Ia | 65.555 | 7 | ||
| Athlete | Horse | Event | Individual score | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Score | Rank | |||||
| Grace Bowman | See above | Team | 58.235 | 56.286 | 114.521 | 388.092 | 6 |
| Nicole Kullen | 60.235 | 59.905 | 120.140* | ||||
| Sharon Jarvis | 62.923 | 69.200 | 132.123* | ||||
| Georgia Bruce | 67.571 | 68.258 | 135.829* | ||||
Coaches – Mary Longden (Head Coach),David Bowman, Sally Francis Officials – Ken Dagley (Chef d’Equipe), Doug Denby, Nicola Reynoldson, Michelle Goodrick, Judy Fyfe, Margaret Keyes, Emma Bardot, Ebony Tucker, Terrina Fairbrother, Liz Wright-Smith, Chris Elliott, Carolyn Lieutenant.[3]
See main article: Judo at the 2008 Summer Paralympics.
See main article: Powerlifting at the 2008 Summer Paralympics.
| Athlete | Event | Result | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abebe Fekadu | 56kg | 155.0 | 10 | |
| Darren Gardiner | +100kg | 230.0 |
Coaches – Ray Epstein (Head Coach), Bill Nancarrow[3]
See main article: rowing at the 2008 Summer Paralympics. Rowing made its debut at the Beijing Games. There were four boat classes which all competed over a distance of 1000m.[6] Australia competed in two of the four rowing events. Australian athletes Kathryn Ross and John Maclean competed in the trunk and arms mixed double skulls.[7] They won the silver medal, however only missed out on the gold by 0.08 seconds.[7] The gold was won by a crew from China.
| Athlete | Event | Heats | Repechage | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | |||
| Dominic Monypenny | Men's singles sculls | 5:38.29 | 5 R | 6:02.45 | 4 FA | 5:59.92 | 6 | |
| John MacLean Kathryn Ross | Mixed double sculls | 4:18.66 | 3 R | 4:31.24 | 1 FA | 4:21.58 | ||
See main article: Sailing at the 2008 Summer Paralympics.
| Athlete | Event | Race | Total points | Net points Total | Rank | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | ||||||
| Aaron Hill | 1 person keelboat 2.4mR | (12) | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | (13) | 6 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 98 | 73 | 12 | ||
| Daniel Fitzgibbon Rachel Cox | 2 person keelboat SKUD 18 | (4) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | (9) | 3 | 1 | 2 | Race Cancelled | 31 | 18 | ||
| Colin Harrison Jonathan Harris Graeme Martin | 3 person keelboat sonar | 8 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | (10) | (15) OCS | 5 | 7 | 61 | 36 | ||
Coaches – Greg Omay (Head Coach), Adrian Finglas Officials – Sarina Macpherson (Section Manager), Linnea Korssell, Sue Crafer, Geoff Milligan, Timothy Lowe[3]
See main article: Shooting at the 2008 Summer Paralympics.
| Athlete | Event | Qualification | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Rank | Score | Total | Rank | ||
| Ashley Adams | Men's 10m air rifle standing SH1 | 593 | 2 Q | 100.0 | 693.0 | 4 |
| Men's 50m rifle 3 positions | 1137 | 9 | align=center colspan="3" | did not advance | ||
| Mixed 10m air rifle prone SH1 | 599 | 11 | align=center colspan="3" | did not advance | ||
| Mixed 50m rifle prone SH1 | 590 | 2 Q | 98.5 | 688.5 | 4 | |
| Sebastian Hume | Men's 10m air pistol SH1 | 553 | 22 | align=center colspan="3" | did not advance | |
| Jason Maroney | Mixed 10m air rifle prone SH2 | 599 | 8 Q | 104.9 | 703.9 | 6 |
| Mixed 10m air rifle standing SH2 | 597 | 5 Q | 103.6 | 700.6 | 5 | |
| Athlete | Event | Qualification | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Rank | Score | Total | Rank | ||
| Libby Kosmala | Women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 | 390 | 2 Q | 99.1 | 489.1 | 4 |
| Women's 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 | 556 | 9 | align=center colspan="3" | did not advance | ||
| Mixed 10m air rifle prone SH1 | 597 | 19 | align=center colspan="3" | did not advance | ||
| Mixed 50m rifle prone SH1 | 577 | 33 | align=center colspan="3" | did not advance | ||
Coaches – Miroslav Sipek (Head Coach), Michelle Fletcher Officials – Nick Sullivan (Section Manager), Anne Bugden[3]
See main article: Swimming at the 2008 Summer Paralympics. There were eight men and eleven women making their Paralympic debut. Australia won 9 gold, 11 silver and 9 bronze medals placing it sixth on the swimming medal tally. It was Australia's most successful sport at the Games. Matthew Cowdrey (5 gold and 3 silver) and Peter Leek (3 gold, 4 silver and 1 bronze) were the standout swimmers.
| Athlete | Class | Event | Heats | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | |||||
| Michael Anderson | S10 | 100m backstroke | 1:01.70 PR | 2 Q | 1:01.47 | |||
| 50m freestyle | 25.13 | 6 Q | 25.04 | 6 | ||||
| 100m freestyle | 56.08 | 11 | did not advance | |||||
| Ben Austin | S8 | 100m butterfly | 1:04.83 | 5 Q | 1:03.50 | 5 | ||
| 50m freestyle | 28.09 | 5 Q | 27.82 | 5 | ||||
| 100m freestyle | 59.62 PR | 2 Q | 59.78 | 4 | ||||
| Daniel Bell | S10 | 100m butterfly | 1:00.24 | 6 Q | 59.85 | 5 | ||
| SB9 | 100m breaststroke | 1:14.33 | 9 | did not advance | ||||
| SM10 | 200m individual medley | 2:22.96 | 10 | did not advance | ||||
| Sam Bramham | S9 | 100m butterfly | 1:02.33 | 4 Q | 1:02.58 | 7 | ||
| 100m freestyle | 58.97 | 11 | did not advance | |||||
| 400m freestyle | 4:25.67 | 3 Q | 4:21.35 | 4 | ||||
| Blake Cochrane | S8 | 100m backstroke | 1:17.72 | 12 | did not advance | |||
| SB7 | 100m breaststroke | 1:23.69 | 2 Q | 1:23.36 | ||||
| Matthew Cowdrey | S9 | 100m backstroke | 1:05.60 | 2 Q | 1:03.34 WR | |||
| 100m butterfly | 1:01.05 | 3 Q | 59.46 | |||||
| 50m freestyle | 26.09 | 4 Q | 25.34 WR | |||||
| 100m freestyle | 56.53 | 2 Q | 55.30 WR | |||||
| 400m freestyle | 4:27.26 | 5 Q | 4:17.28 | |||||
| SM9 | 200m individual medley | 2:20.62 | 2 Q | 2:13.60 WR | ||||
| Jay Dohnt | S7 | 100m backstroke | 1:24.88 | 12 | did not advance | |||
| 100m freestyle | 1:11.33 | 11 | did not advance | |||||
| 400m freestyle | 5:06.65 | 4 Q | 4:59.47 | |||||
| SM7 | 200m individual medley | 3:03.73 | 10 | did not advance | ||||
| Alex Hadley | S7 | 50m butterfly | 37.10 | 10 | did not advance | |||
| 50m freestyle | 30.76 | 4 Q | 30.75 | 4 | ||||
| 100m freestyle | 1:08.67 | 7 Q | 1:07.90 | 6 | ||||
| 400m freestyle | 5:18.23 | 7 Q | 5:20.79 | 7 | ||||
| Brenden Hall | S9 | 400m freestyle | 4:23.35 PR | 1 Q | 4:22.19 | 5 | ||
| Peter Leek | S8 | 100m backstroke | 1:07.54 PR | 2 Q | 1:07.28 | |||
| 100m butterfly | 1:01.01 | 1 Q | 1:00.95 | |||||
| 50m freestyle | 27.69 | 2 Q | 26.89 | |||||
| 100m freestyle | 59.00 PR | 1 Q | 59.14 | |||||
| 400m freestyle | 4:35.87 PR | 2 Q | 4:31.16 | |||||
| SM8 | 200m individual medley | 2:25.72 PR | 1 Q | 2:20.92 WR | ||||
| Matt Levy | S8 | 50m freestyle | 28.55 | 6 Q | 29.68 | 8 | ||
| 400m freestyle | 4:50.78 | 6 Q | 4:51.77 | 7 | ||||
| SM8 | 200m individual medley | 2:39.40 | 6 Q | 2:38.35 | 7 | |||
| Jeremy McClure | S12 | 100m backstroke | 1:05.95 | 7 Q | 1:06.32 | 7 | ||
| 50m freestyle | 27.58 | 14 | did not advance | |||||
| SB12 | 100m breaststroke | 1:19.56 | 10 | did not advance | ||||
| Ricardo Moffatti | S8 | 100m backstroke | 1:13.56 | 6 Q | 1:12.58 | 5 | ||
| 100m freestyle | 1:00.67 | 5 Q | 59.93 | 5 | ||||
| Stephen Osborne | S9 | 100m butterfly | 1:06.33 | 13 | did not advance | |||
| 50m freestyle | 27.20 | 14 | did not advance | |||||
| 100m freestyle | 59.70 | 18 | did not advance | |||||
| Andrew Pasterfield | S10 | 100m backstroke | 1:04.26 | 4 Q | 1:04.24 | 7 | ||
| 50m freestyle | 25.34 | 9 | did not advance | |||||
| 100m freestyle | 56.03 | 10 | did not advance | |||||
| Rick Pendleton | S10 | 100m butterfly | 1:00.96 | 7 Q | 59.87 | 6 | ||
| SB9 | 100m breaststroke | 1:12.34 | 4 Q | 1:10.88 | 4 | |||
| SM10 | 200m individual medley | 2:18.76 | 1 Q | 2:12.78 WR | ||||
| Jeremy Tidy | S10 | 100m backstroke | 1:05.37 | 8 Q | 1:05.26 | 8 | ||
| 100m butterfly | 1:01.73 | 11 | did not advance | |||||
| 50m freestyle | 25.83 | 12 | did not advance | |||||
| 100m freestyle | 55.72 | 9 | did not advance | |||||
| SB9 | 100m breaststroke | 1:16.04 | 11 | did not advance | ||||
| SM10 | 200m individual medley | 2:19.44 | 2 Q | 2:19.76 | 6 | |||
| Ben Austin Sam Bramham Matthew Cowdrey Peter Leek | style="text-align:center;" | - | Men's 4 × 100 m freestyle relay | 3:53.59 | ||||
| Daniel Bell Sam Bramham Matt Levy Ricardo Moffatti | style="text-align:center;" | - | Men's 4 × 100 m medley relay | 4:33.02 | 4 Q | 4:11.90 WR | ||
| Athlete | Class | Event | Heats | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | |||
| Sarah Bowen | S6 | 100m backstroke | 1:43.98 | 9 | did not advance | |
| SB6 | 100m breaststroke | 1:44.44 | 2 Q | 1:42.39 | ||
| SM6 | 200m individual medley | 3:40.89 | 10 | did not advance | ||
| Ellie Cole | S9 | 100m backstroke | 1:13.12 | 3 Q | 1:11.87 | |
| 100m butterfly | 1:10.70 | 2 Q | 1:10.92 | |||
| 100m freestyle | 1:05.11 | 5 Q | 1:04.24 | 4 | ||
| 400m freestyle | 4:45.17 | 2 Q | 4:44.60 | |||
| SM9 | 200m individual medley | 2:42.26 | 5 Q | DNS | ||
| Amanda Drennan | S9 | 100m backstroke | 1:17.06 | 9 | did not advance | |
| 100m freestyle | 1:06.81 | 12 | did not advance | |||
| 400m freestyle | 5:04.62 | 8 Q | 5:07.24 | 8 | ||
| Jacqueline Freney | S8 | 50m freestyle | 32.49 | 4 Q | 32.37 | |
| 100m freestyle | 1:09.92 | 2 Q | 1:08.56 | |||
| 400m freestyle | 5:02.32 | 3 Q | 4:57.21 | |||
| Samantha Gandolfo | S10 | 50m freestyle | 31.15 | 11 | did not advance | |
| 100m freestyle | 1:05.12 | 8 Q | 1:05.74 | 8 | ||
| 400m freestyle | 4:48.90 | 3 Q | 4:48.02 | 5 | ||
| SM10 | 200m individual medley | 2:49.45 | 9 | did not advance | ||
| Marayke Jonkers | SM4 | 150m individual medley | 3:28.88 | |||
| Katrina Lewis | S10 | 50m freestyle | 28.91 | 1 Q | 29.13 | |
| Sian Lucas | S10 | 100m backstroke | 1:14.64 | 5 Q | 1:14.66 | 5 |
| 100m freestyle | 1:07.05 | 11 | did not advance | |||
| 400m freestyle | 4:52.14 | 6 Q | 4:49.98 | 8 | ||
| Hannah MacDougall | S10 | 100m backstroke | 1:17.87 | 9 | did not advance | |
| SM10 | 200m individual medley | 2:53.34 | 10 | did not advance | ||
| Tarryn McGaw | S10 | 100m backstroke | 1:16.58 | 7 Q | 1:15.66 | 7 |
| 50m freestyle | 30.56 | 10 | did not advance | |||
| 100m freestyle | 1:05.03 | 7 Q | 1:04.83 | 7 | ||
| 400m freestyle | 5:03.42 | 8 Q | 4:49.79 | 7 | ||
| SM10 | 200m individual medley | 2:45.89 | 7 Q | 2:46.57 | 7 | |
| Rhiannon Oliver | S8 | 100m backstroke | 1:34.92 | 9 | did not advance | |
| 50m freestyle | 35.25 | 12 | did not advance | |||
| 100m freestyle | 1:15.57 | 11 | did not advance | |||
| SB7 | 100m breaststroke | 1:45.49 | 5 | |||
| Esther Overton | S3 | 50m backstroke | 1:12.49 | 4 Q | 1:13.33 | 5 |
| 50m freestyle | 1:11.99 | 6 Q | 1:12.26 | 6 | ||
| Katrina Porter | S7 | 100m backstroke | 1:24.44 WR | 1 Q | 1:24.30 WR | |
| 50m butterfly | DSQ | did not advance | ||||
| 400m freestyle | 5:43.88 | 5 Q | 5:44.93 | 5 | ||
| SB6 | 100m breaststroke | 1:55.26 | 7 Q | 1:55.08 | 7 | |
| SM7 | 200m individual medley | DSQ | did not advance | |||
| Shelley Rogers | S7 | 100m backstroke | 1:31.49 | 6 Q | 1:30.26 | 5 |
| 50m butterfly | 41.35 | 6 Q | 40.02 | 6 | ||
| SM7 | 200m individual medley | 3:17.34 | 3 Q | 3:12.68 | 4 | |
| Sarah Rose | S6 | 50m freestyle | 40.90 | 9 | did not advance | |
| 50m butterfly | 41.37 | 5 Q | 40.95 | 4 | ||
| 100m freestyle | 1:30.31 | 10 | did not advance | |||
| SM6 | 200m individual medley | 3:30.68 | 7 Q | 3:29.54 | 7 | |
| Teigan van Roosmalen | S13 | 100m backstroke | 1:16.26 | 9 | did not advance | |
| 100m butterfly | 1:10.57 | 6 Q | 1:09.48 | 7 | ||
| 50m freestyle | 30.51 | 8 | ||||
| 100m freestyle | 1:07.64 | 9 | did not advance | |||
| 400m freestyle | 4:58.20 | 8 Q | 5:02.17 | 8 | ||
| SM13 | 200m individual medley | 2:39.20 | 6 | |||
| Prue Watt | S13 | 100m backstroke | 1:15.65 | 8 Q | 1:16.05 | 8 |
| 100m butterfly | 1:08.21 | 4 Q | 1:07.48 | 4 | ||
| 50m freestyle | 28.16 | 5 | ||||
| 100m freestyle | 1:02.61 | 6 Q | 1:01.59 | 6 | ||
| 400m freestyle | 4:49.80 | 5 Q | 4:46.21 | 6 | ||
| SM13 | 200m individual medley | 2:32.87 | 5 | |||
| Annabelle Williams | S9 | 100m butterfly | 1:11.41 | 4 Q | 1:10.98 | |
| 50m freestyle | 29.76 | 3 Q | 29.80 | 4 | ||
| 100m freestyle | 1:05.71 | 7 Q | 1:05.43 | 7 | ||
Coaches – Brendan Keogh (Head Coach), Graeme Carroll, Jackie Barck, Amanda Isaac, Jo Love, Rob Moon, Mel Tantrum
Officials – Melanie Jenkins (Section Manager), Jon O'Neill-Shaw, Sandra Eccles, Claire Nichols, Brendan Burkett, Sacha Fulton, Penny Will, Vaughan Nicholson[3]
See main article: Table tennis at the 2008 Summer Paralympics.
| Athlete | Event | Preliminaries | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final / | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Rank | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Rank | |||
| Rebecca Julian | Women's singles C6-7 | L 2–3 | L 0–3 | 3 | did not advance | ||||||
| Sarah Lazzaro | Women's singles C9 | L 0-3 | L 0-3 | L 0-3 | 4 | did not advance | |||||
| Rebecca Julian Sarah Lazzaro | Women's team C6-10 | No preliminaries | L 0-3 | did not advance | |||||||
Coach – Brian Berry (Head Coach) Official – Barbara Talbot (Section Manager). Catherine Morrow was selected but withdrew from the team.[3]
See main article: Wheelchair basketball at the 2008 Summer Paralympics.
See main article: Wheelchair basketball at the 2008 Summer Paralympics – Men. Australian men's team known as the 'Rollers' won the gold medal defeating Canada 72–60 in the final
Group B Matches
------------------------Group B StandingsQuarter finals--------Semi finals
----
Gold medal game--------
See main article: Wheelchair basketball at the 2008 Summer Paralympics – Women. The women's team known as the 'Gliders' won the bronze medal defeating Japan in the playoff.[3]
Coaches – Gerry Hewson (Head Coach), Mark Hewish
Officials – Sonia Healy (Section Manager), Emma Whiteside.
Group A Standings'--------------------
Group A TableQuarter-finals----
Semi-finals
Bronze medal game--------
See main article: Wheelchair rugby at the 2008 Summer Paralympics.
Representing Australia in wheelchair rugby:
Men – Bryce Alman, Ryley Batt, Grant Boxall, Shane Brand, Cameron Carr, Nazim Erdem, George Hucks, Steve Porter, Ryan Scott, Greg Smith, Scott Vitale Coach – Brad Dubberley (Head Coach) Officials – Kim Ellwood (Section Manager), Rob Doidge, Noni Shelton, Angela Mansell[3]
Three of the team made their Paralympic debut and Steve Porter attended his fourth Games. The Australian team known as the 'Steelers' won the silver medal losing to the United States 53–44 in the final.
Group B Standing and Results
| width=25 | Rank | width=150 | Team | width=25 | Pld | width=25 | W | width=25 | L | width=70 | PF:PA | width=25 | Pts | width=50 | AUS | width=50 | GBR | width=50 | NZL | width=50 | GER | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 129:111 | 6 | 43:37 | 39:38 | 47:36 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 115:116 | 5 | 37:43 | 39:38 | 39:35 | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 116:109 | 4 | 38:39 | 38:39 | 40:31 | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 102:126 | 3 | 36:47 | 35:39 | 31:40 |
Qualified for quarterfinals
EliminatedSource: Paralympic.org[8]
Source: Paralympic.org[8]
See main article: Wheelchair Tennis at the 2008 Summer Paralympics.
| Athlete | Class | Event | Round of 64 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | |||
| Michael Dobbie | Open | Men's singles | W 6–3, 6-4 | L 1–6, 3-6 | did not advance | |||
| Ben Weekes | L 5–7, 4–6 | did not advance | ||||||
| Michael Dobbie Ben Weekes | Men's doubles | L 4–6, 1-6 | did not advance | |||||
Coach – Greg Crump (Head Coach) Officials – Geoff Quinlan (Section Manager)[3]
There were 19 venues for the Paralympics in Beijing. From this, 18 were used at the Olympics and also in the Paralympic games.[9] Venues were spread throughout three regions in China.[10] “In the construction of the Olympic venues and related facilities, we will give full consideration to the special needs of the athletes and spectators with physical disabilities, to materialize the goal of "equality, participation and sharing"”. When constructing venues for both the Olympic and Paralympic, impediment free designs had to be used to enable access by able and disabled bodies.[11]
Facilities where Australians competed include the Beijing National Stadium (Birds Nest), Beijing National Aquatics Centre (Water Cube), Beijing National Indoor Stadium (Fan) as well as many more.
Many of the venues were designed by Australian companies. One of the iconic venues ‘The Water Cube’, was designed by Australian companies PTW Architects, ARUP Aust., Anti Wave International CSCEC.[12] Other facilities used by for the Paralympics included the Archery, Hockey and Tennis venues which were all designed by Bligh Voller Nield. Many other Australian companies also contributed to the design and building of facilities.
Athletes and coaches were supported by administrative and sports medicine and science staff.Administrative staff – Darren Peters (Chef de Mission), Nick Dean (Deputy Chef de Mission), Paul Bird (Chef de Mission), Alison Keys, Jason Hellwig (General Manager), Steve Loader, Michael Hartung, Natalie Jenkins, Caroline Walker, Chris Nunn (Performance Consultant), Jenni Cole, Tony Naar (Chief Information Manager), Graham Cassidy (Media Manager), Margie McDonald, Jordan Baker, Karen Michelmore
Sports medicine and science staff – Larissa Trease, Alison Campbell (Medical Coordinator), Geoff Thompson, Ruben Branson, Sally Heads, John Camens, David Spurrier, Lily Chiu, Richard Bennett, Gary Slater, Jo Vaile[3]
“Australia's Paralympic team is funded by the Federal Government but also relies heavily on donations and corporate sponsorship”.[13] The growth of Paralympic sports has grown phenomenally in the past decade however there was concern this didn't translate into increased corporate sponsorship, especially before the 2008 games.[13] Despite this, the Australian Paralympic Committee outlined in their Annual Report for 2007/08 that their corporate sponsorship revenue increased. The revenue for corporate sponsorship was $1.47 million for the year, resulting in a 17.7 per cent increase from the previous year.[14]
Telstra was one of many major sponsors at the Beijing Games. Throughout the games, the Australia Paralympic Committee and Telstra created the Telstra HeroMessage program.[14] The program generated 7,000 messages of support that were sent to athletes at the games.[14] The program also ran Chat to a Champ. It allowed students from the Telstra Paralympic Education Program to talk to their Paralympic heroes at the games via the internet.[14]
Toyota was another sponsor for the Paralympic team in Beijing. Toyota has been supporting the APC for over 12 years (at the time) and through this has been building awareness of the Paralympic movement.[14] [15] They ran multiple promotions in the lead up to the 2008 games. This included developing a media campaign with News Limited and also adding information on Paralympic Games/Athletes to their website.[14]
Representatives from the 25 key sponsors and supporters were sent to Beijing as a part of the BSSP Program. This experience enabled them to see 7 days of the games and witness sports such as swimming cycling, basketball, wheelchair tennis, wheelchair basketball and many more.[14] They also had the chance to tour the Paralympic village, meet the athletes and staff and have an official greeting at the Australian Embassy.[14] “The BSSP enables sponsors and key supporters to experience the Games firsthand and to see the impact of their support on Australia’s Paralympic athletes”.[14]
The Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) runs the Toyota Paralympic Talent Search Program. "Its main goal is to identify people with physical disabilities, vision impairments or intellectual disabilities who display the athletic potential to one day make it to Paralympic level competition".[16] There were 53 athletes from the program who became a part of the Paralympic Preparation Program leading up to the games. From this pool of athletes, 27 where chosen to represent Australia in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Team. By the end of the games, 15 of those who were selected to be in the team from the Talent Program won medals at their first Paralympic games.
Since 1990 the Australian Paralympic Committee has been responsible for preparing the Summer and Winter Teams for the Paralympic Games.[17] They also assist athletes to prepare by, "…providing funding for coaching, equipment and travel in the lead up to the…Paralympic Games". Fundraising is an essential avenue for the APC to provide funding for the team. Through various fundraising activities in the lead up to the 2008 games, a $3.11 million gross revenue was made from the 1 October 2007 to the 30 September 2008.[14] This figure beat the target that was set. Revenue of $2.26 million was earned through activities such as raffles, lottery draws and promotional sales.[14] Allsports Direct Australia is a contracted raffle trader and contributed to helping the APC earn the amount fundraised.The APC acknowledges the support from their individual and corporate donors. Almost $850,000 (from the 2007-2008 financial year) from individual and corporate donors went directly to the Beijing Paralympic Team.[14]
Because Australia was sending their largest Paralympic team to the 2008 games, they wanted to make sure that their efforts would be broadcast to Australians. This included putting in place many initiatives to publish, broadcast and promote the games and Paralympic achievements. In order to distribute content they worked with the Australian Associated Press (AAP), “to maximise distribution of key stories, developing relationships with editors and key journalists, developing a program of events and activities and providing quality background information and stories”.[14] Media Monitors, established there was a total of 31,986 Australian media stories distributed throughout the 2008 Paralympic Games.[14] Online traffic on the APC's website throughout the Beijing Games increased more than 500 percent over Athens and media coverage.[14] The Australian Paralympic Committee reported that there was a 65 per cent increase in Australian media coverage of the Games compared to the 2004 Games in Athens.[18] Independent research has also indicated that 64 percent of Australians followed the Beijing Paralympics, which indicates that APC's goal to broadcast the games to Australians over multiple platforms was achieved.[19]
The 2008 Paralympic Games also had television coverage by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The ABC produced the largest, “coverage by an Australian broadcaster in the Paralympic Games history”.[20] There was 40 crew that traveled to Beijing so that the ABC was able to produce more there 120 hours of coverage, including 100 hours which were broadcast live. It also included daily segments which showed highlights from the games and Australian athlete.[3] The highlights shown at 6pm where, "...pulling in an average audience of over 400,000 viewers".[21] The coverage of the games was shown over six platforms including television, online and radio. The ABC were, “…awarded Paralympic broadcaster of the year for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games”.[22] Australian athlete Gerrard Gosens commented on the television coverage "When I look back to 1996 and the coverage that was there, it was very minimal. Today when you're looking at over 100 hours of ABC television coverage, that really has brought inspiration not only to many Australians, but in particular people who do have a physical disability and looking at the opportunities, not necessarily the obstacles of sport.
Inconsistent media coverage between males and females has always been an issue in sport, even in coverage at the Paralympic Games.“In 2007, the Australian government made a pre-election commitment to provide A$1 million to the APC towards the coverage of the 2008 summer and 2010 winter Paralympic Games for the purpose of promoting female participation and role models”.[23] A study conducted for the APC found that the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, “…coverage of women at the Games in Australian media was broadly in line with their proportion of the Australian Team (45%) and their total medal success at the Games (37%)”.[23] Women's sport coverage exceeded the media's normal 2 percent allocation of females sport coverage.[23]