Paralympic Games diary: Birrell targets gold and then off to see City

MANCHESTER City fan Niki Birrell is hoping to cap a wonderful year with sailing gold at London 2012.
By The Newsroom
Published 31st Aug 2012, 01:05 BST

The 26-year-old will be going for SKUD glory from Saturday as he and helm Alexandra Rickham look to add a Paralympic medal to their four world championship crowns.

Success would cap a fantastic year for Birrell on and off the water after seeing his beloved City win their first league title for 44 years.

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“I follow them as closely as I can,” he said. “I go to the stadium when I can, watch it on the telly or listen to it on the radio and read all the reports all the time.

“I don’t go as much as I’d like to right now because I am constantly sailing, but the plan after the Paralympics is to go to as many City games 
as possible this year.

“We’ve had years of them being rubbish, so now they’re good we may as well go and watch them.

“City winning the Premier League was awesome and a few weeks later we won Sail for Gold, so that was a good few weeks for me.

• IRISH sprinter Jason Smyth has extra incentive to go for gold at the Paralympics – to say thank you to his fiancee who has been left with all the organising for their December wedding. Smyth, in London to defend his titles in the T13 100 and 200 metres, will be cheered on by his American fiancee Elise Jordan.

Asked whether she was doing most of the wedding planning, Smyth said: “I wouldn’t say most, I’d say all. She knows it’s not really something I can afford to be distracted about. Thankfully she’s not high maintenance or wants this really flashy wedding.”

As for whether she had requested he bring back two gold medals as compensation, Smyth added: “Not as yet, 
but I’ve no doubt she’s thinking it.”

• CROWDS at the notoriously boisterous Copper Box were staying quiet as the goalball competition got under way. The sport is played by visually impaired athletes with eye masks using a ball with bells inside and so requires silence from spectators during play. While most in the audience were being obliging, play had to be stopped briefly in the morning session as a bawling baby broke the quiet.