Welsh Paralympians - good luck message from colleagues at Cardiff Met

Best wishes to Cardiff Met Paralympians

A Cardiff Met good luck message has gone to close friends of the university due to start their Paralympics campaign from tomorrow (Friday, Aug 31).

Javelin and discus specialist Nathan Stephens, along with discus and shot put man Aled Davies, is due in action tomorrow; sailor Stephen Thomas is due to start his campaign on Monday, September 3.

Cardiff Met Vice-Chancellor Professor Antony J Chapman said: “Our warmest congratulations go to Nathan, Aled and Stephen – to qualify for the Paralympics is a great achievement. We wish them all the best for their London 2012 efforts.”

The London Paralympics began yesterday (Wednesday) and will run until September 9. The GB team is tipped to grab a record-breaking medal haul.

Nathan Stephens is currently taking time away from his Cardiff Met BSc Sports Coaching course to compete in the Javelin F57 and Discus F57 events.

His discus final session is scheduled for the Olympic Stadium tomorrow (Fri Aug 31) from 7pm. His javelin final will take place at the stadium on Saturday, September 8, from 7pm. He is the F57 javelin world record holder.

Aled Davies, currently on a break from his Cardiff Met BSc Sport Management studies, competes in the Discus F42 and Shot Put F42 events.

His shot final session is scheduled for the Olympic Stadium tomorrow (Friday 31 August) from 10am. The discus final is due to take place at the stadium from 10am on Sunday, September 2. He won discus silver at the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships.

Stephen Thomas, who graduated from Cardiff Met in Sports Development three years ago, will compete in sailing’s sonar event.

His Weymouth and Portland schedule includes races each day from September 3-6. He is a double world champion in sailing.

Professor Antony J Chapman said: “We will all be supporting Nathan, Aled and Stephen – they’re at the top of their game and their achievements reflect their dedication and talent.”

Cardiff Met has already played a key role in the Paralympics, with athletes from the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Samoa, India and Australia taking advantage of training facilities at the university’s National Indoor Athletics Centre.

Fully equipped to international standard, NIAC was the first purpose-built indoor athletics facility in the UK and, as well as playing host to some of the best athletes in the world, is utilised fully by students on sports courses, student clubs and the general public.

Cardiff Met was also influential in this summer’s Olympics Team GB. There were fine performances from students past and present, staff and other friends.

Notable names included gold medal rower Helen Glover, hurdler Dai Greene, handball player Mark Hawkins, basketball players Stef Collins, Rose Anderson and Jenaya Wade-Fray, discus man Brett Morse, 800m runner Gareth Warburton and air pistol specialist Georgina Geikie.

Cardiff Met is the top ranked Welsh university in the UK in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) League tables.

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