Golden finish to a golden Games

It was a golden finish to the 2012 Paralympic Games, as NSWIS athlete Ryley Batt realised his Paralympic dream with a gold medal victory in the wheelchair rugby tournament.

Batt and the Australian team took on Canada in the gold medal match, and having defeated the Canadians earlier in the tournament the team was confident they could do it again. After the first quarter the Australians were out to seven goal lead and they never looked back, eventually winning the match, and gold, with a 66-51 victory. Batt scored 37 goals for the team, taking his five match tally to 160 goals.

NSWIS athletes Kurt Fearnley and Christie Dawes were also in action on the final day of competition, competing in the men’s and women’s T54 marathon, respectively. Fearnley, aiming for three consecutive Paralympic marathon victories, won bronze in a time of 1:30.21, while Dawes finished sixth.

The final NSWIS medall tally at the 2012 Paralympic Games stands at 12 gold, nine silver and 16 bronze medals.

The closing ceremony then followed the final events at the Games, with a host of big-name stars celebrating the achievements of over 4000 Paralympians. Coldplay, Rihanna and Jay-Z all performed as the ceremony exploded into life with fireworks across London to mark what has been a phenomenal few weeks in the British capital.

For now the attention turns to Sochi, Russia for the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, before the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.