Great Britain’s Kiera Byland is preparing to defend her road race and time trial titles at the 2018 International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) Cycling World Championships in Paris, France, from 14-22 July.

The 20-year-old shocked the field in 2017 when she claimed double gold on her debut in Assen, the Netherlands.

Now Byland is heading to Paris with more training and confidence than ever before.

“To be honest, I would like to win. But I am just going to try my best. If I do my best and I win, I win. If I come second, I come second. If I come third, I come third. But I’m just going to try my best,” she said.

“Every rider says they would like to win, that’s the ultimate aim. But a personal best also.”

When Byland set out on the time trial – the opening event – last year she did so having never raced on an open road. The rider had only ever seen it done on television.

But with the support of her father, who she trains with, the youngster even surprised herself:

“It was very good, but it was nerve-wracking because there were cars on there, different surfaces to what we’re used too – they had cobbles as well! It was nice, even though there were side winds and obviously you could puncture as well.

“There were new riders that I hadn’t raced against before and obviously they have different techniques that I had to adapt too. It was just a really exciting and positive introduction.

“And everyone was really excited because I was new, they’d never seen me race before. And I think that added to the excitement as well – that you have new riders coming in.”

Having started cycling when she was 12 following a taster session at the Manchester Velodrome, Byland explained why she took up sport.

“The reason I do sport is because at school, I never used to have very many friends at all. So I used to make my friends though my sport. So it was good because they were interested in the sport itself and so was I.”

Now a fully fledged member of the cycling community, Byland trains five days a week as well as on the roads with her father. Her kit is provided by British Cycling and she does weekly core stability training and physiotherapy at the University of Bolton’s Elite Athlete Programme.

Paris bound

Byland also has a coach who she says inspires her to improve and win over the likes of France’s Aurelie Minodier, the former world champion who she beat to the line in Assen.

Byland will face Minodier again in Paris. Time will tell if she can repeat her incredible performance, but she is looking forward to wearing the British jersey:

“I’m really excited to go and compete and hopefully I’ll do well,” she said. “I wish other competitors the best as well. I’m really excited to represent my country.”

The 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Cycling World Championships will take place as part of the World Intellectual Impairment Sport European Summer Games. Eight other sports are on the programme, including tennis which will also be a World Championships.

By Mariam Khan | for World Intellectual Impairment Sport

Belgium’s defending women’s singles champion Hanne Lavreysen has revealed that she still sees Australia’s Kelly Wren as a major rival before the pair meet again in Paris, France, for the 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport European Championships Games.

The competition will also double as the 2018 International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) Tennis World Championships between 14-22 July.

The passionate tennis star won gold at the last World Intellectual Impairment Sport Tennis World Championships in Bolton, Great Britain, retaining her title over Wren. She also bagged two silver medals in the doubles with partners Lies Gielis and Jochen Fens.

“I think every player will perform at their level best, so everybody could be a real challenge! Last year and the year before, Kelly was the most difficult player to win from in the singles,” Lavreysen said. “In the doubles, it was very exciting to play against Archie [Graham, from Australia], because he is also the reigning world champion and plays very well.

“I am training very hard so hopefully my own level will be good enough to win again in the singles. The other team members of the Belgium team are also training hard, and they are a real team.”

Lavreysen has played tennis since the age of three with her brother. However, she could not train in a group, because her epilepsy was not under control. It was at the age of nine she finally started training with other children.

The club where she trains is a very important part of Lavreysen’s life. She feels her confidence level has increased playing the sport, especially since she combines able-bodied competitions with tournaments for people with an intellectual impairment on national, and international level.

Lavreysen points out the benefits: “It is superb that I get to visit and play in different countries; competing against players from the other side of the world is a great opportunity, as is promoting sports for people with mental disability.”

About the 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport European Championships Games

The 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport European Championships Games, organised by World Intellectual Impairment Sport Europe, will feature the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Tennis and Cycling World Championships. Seven other regional competitions will take place in other sports

By Gaurav Mokhasi | for World Intellectual Impairment Sport

Two years since she made her Paralympic debut aged only 18 at Rio 2016, France’s Gloria Agblemagnon is raring to go again.

Fresh out of a gruelling training session where she is preparing for the 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport European Championships Games on home soil in Paris from 14-22 July, Agblemagnon spoke of her aspirations and the road ahead.

“I’m determined to do well in Paris next month”, the 20-year-old said. “I’m going for three medals, hoping to throw over 45m each in the discus and hammer events and over 13m in the shotput.”

Having already claimed gold in the hammer and discus at the 2017 International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) Athletics Championship and in shotput at the 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport World Indoor Athletics Championships, Agblemagnon’s chances look good.

The Frenchwoman first discovered she had a talent for the three events when she was 13. “I was better at throwing than other track & field events”, she recalled. “I started with hammer and got into discus and shotput slightly later. By the time I was 15, I had realised this wasn’t just a hobby for me. I wanted to pursue this seriously. I knew I could win medals internationally, but would have to train very hard.”

And train hard she does. She follows a strict weight training regimen guided by her coach, Maxime Bauchet. However Agblemagnon laughs when talking about her diet, saying it is not something she worries about. She puts her dedication on the training ground down to her experience at Rio 2016. “I wasn’t training enough before Rio. It was after that unique experience that I realised the value of training – how much harder I’d have to work to compete at that level.”

Improving on Rio 2016

The Paralympics were a defining moment, not just from a sporting perspective but also a psychological one for Agblemagnon: “I didn’t realise the scale of the event in the beginning – how big everything would be. But as the days went by, I started getting really stressed. It was difficult.”

Having matured since then, Agblemagnon is determined to set the record straight at the Paralympics in Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. “I want to win a medal in shotput at Tokyo. But the biggest dream and motivator for me is to win the gold at home in Paris 2024.”

It is not all fierce competition and training for Agblemagnon though. In fact, one of the main reasons she took up sports is because it helps her maintain balance in her personal life. “Playing these sports gives me great pleasure. It helps me relax. My days become less stressful after I spend time out on the field. I love watching the discus as it flies away through the air. It calms me. I like beating my personal records, sure. But I also like learning about the technical aspects of the sports I play, be it the styles of throwing or how I can improve my rotation. Shotput has become my favourite sport now because of how much time I’ve spent training for it and learning about it.”

Agblemagnon will be in action at the 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport European Championships Games, organised by World Intellectual Impairment Sport Europe, in Paris from 14-22 July. She will also compete at the 2019 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games in Brisbane, Australia – the world’s biggest high performance sports event for athletes with an intellectual impairment.

Translation provided by Maxime Bauchet

 

Argentina, India, Japan and Mexico will progress to the final stage of bidding for the 2023 International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) Global Games.

In what was a highly competitive first stage of the bid process, World Intellectual Impairment Sport members were asked to submit expressions of interest before being shortlisted by the Global Games Committee.

The four countries will now have until the beginning of 2019 to submit their formal, full bids before the successful host is announced in June 2019.

“We have been hugely encouraged by the response to host the Global Games, showing that more and more countries are keen to stage the world’s largest elite sports event for athletes with intellectual impairments,” Marc Truffaut, World Intellectual Impairment Sport President, said.

“Each of the candidates has recognised the unique opportunity to not only host more than 1,000 of the world’s best athletes in a variety of sports, but also to change perceptions in their countries and regions. We are delighted to be taking this number of bids forward to the next stage and I would like to thank each one of them for their efforts so far.”

This edition sees more regions than ever before vying to stage the Games. Europe has hosted four of the five editions and the last event in 2015 was hosted in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Brisbane, Australia, will host in 2019.

Bollnas, Sweden; Liberec, Czech Republic, and Liguria, Italy, staged in 2004, 2009 and 2011, respectively.

Truffaut continued: “The locations of the final four bids shows the growth in profile and prestige of the Global Games around the world, and each country has something very unique to offer.

“The next stage will allow us to see exactly how they plan to build on previous editions. I encourage them to think carefully about how they can do that. We aim for each Global Games to be different and better than the last and we are very excited to be standing on the edge of history once again.”

The official bid countries must now submit their detailed plans in key areas such as facilities and transport; anti-doping; accommodation; media and digital media; marketing and branding; venues; legacy; staffing and budgets by 31 January 2019.

All bids will be reviewed by the Global Games Committee before a successful host is chosen by the Governing Board.

About the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games

The World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games feature athletics, basketball, swimming, table tennis, futsal, indoor and outdoor rowing, road cycling, taekwondo and tennis. Organisers can also submit applications for demonstration sports.

The event always takes place in the year ahead of the Paralympic Games. Many medallists have used the Global Games as a springboard, going onto make the podium at the Paralympics. For those athletes competing in non-Paralympic sports it is the highest level they can reach.

More information is available at the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games page of inas.org.

Australian tennis player Archie Graham will be one of the faces to watch when his home 2019 International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) Global Games get underway in Brisbane in 500 days’ time.

Graham’s impressive record features three World Championships titles, including one from the Global Games which also act as the Worlds for tennis. In addition he is a five-time national champion.

Unbeaten since his maiden title from the Global Games in Guayaquil, Ecuador, in 2015, Graham is excited about attempting to defend his gold medal at home:

“The home territory makes it more easier for me because it’s around where all my friends are, and supporters will be just buzzing there. I hope to be the Australian team again and just keep winning at the top level.”

Before Brisbane 2019, Graham will compete at the 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Tennis World Championships in Paris, France, in July. The competition is being held as part of the World Intellectual Impairment Sport European Summer Games.

Currently training six hours a day for six days a week, Graham is feeling good about his chances in Paris.

“I’m very confident that I will retain my title for the fourth straight time because I have nothing to lose and I can just go out there, give it my all and just do my thing and just do my best,” he said.

But the Australian is also aware that new players are emerging all the time. He believes his attitude will be the key to success and having confidence in all elements of his game.

“Truth be told, and this is the way I see it, anyone can beat me because I always go into a match thinking it’s going to be tough,” he said. “If I don’t have the right attitude they could beat me if my game is off and that’s the sort of mindset I have before a match – thinking that it’s going to be tough.

“My whole game, basically everything about my game, would be strong because I possess an all court game and I have all the weapons necessary to win matches.”

So what is the secret to Graham’s success?

“There’s really no secret about it. I just train hard, put in the work and that delivers the results for me. It’s great.”

About the 2019 Global Games

The Global Games will feature athletics, basketball, swimming, table tennis, futsal, indoor and outdoor rowing, road cycling, taekwondo and tennis. Competition runs from 11-20 October.

The event always takes place in the year ahead of the Paralympic Games. Many medallists have used the Global Games as a springboard, going onto make the podium at the Paralympics. For those athletes competing in non-Paralympic sports it is the highest level they can reach.

More information is available at the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games page of inas.org.