 |
Sports NewsWorld Champ Does It Again
Only Jump Breaks Back, Wins Event
 |
Kevin Green needed just one attempt to win his second consecutive jet-ski ramp jump title at the IJSBA World Finals. |
|
Kevin Green, a bilateral amputee
from Lebanon, Tennessee, claimed his second consecutive world title
in the Wamilton's/Alphatrade Ramp Jump at the 26th Annual
International Jet Sports Boating Association (IJSBA) World Finals
October 22 at Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
Green, 36, paid a major price for his victory, exploding the L-2
vertebrae on his first and only jump of the day. "It was well worth
it to me," said Green, who soared 92 feet, 6 inches on his jet ski.
"I'm a two-time world champion. They can't take that away from
me."
Green, who spent eight hours on an operating table in Las Vegas,
Nevada, after the painful jump, already has his sights set on a
third title. "I'm planning on next year," he said. "The world
record is 96 feet, but I'm shooting for 100."
It took Green a number of years to get moving again after losing
his legs in an accident in 1984, but he hasn't slowed since. "Jet
skiing gave me a chance to do something again. When I got on one
for the first time, I just took off," Green said.
Bilateral Amputee Becomes First to Conquer Ironman
Scott Rigsby of Atlanta, Georgia, became the
first bilateral amputee to finish an Ironman Triathlon with
prostheses at the 140.6-mile World Championships October 14 in
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Rigsby, 39, finished with a time of 16 hours,
42 minutes, 46 seconds.
The feat is another athletic first for Rigsby, who also became
the first double amputee to complete an Olympic distance triathlon
and a half-Ironman triathlon.
Rigsby lost his right leg and had his left leg badly damaged in
a high school auto accident.
For more information, visit www.scottrigsby.com
Pistorius' Olympic Hopes at Stake
 Oscar Pistorius, the South African
bilateral amputee sprinter whose dream of competing
against able-bodied runners at the Olympic Games has divided
opinion within the sport, faced the most important challenge of his
career on Sunday, November 11. That's when Pistorius began two days
of scientific testing to discover whether his distinctive
artificial legs offer him an unfair advantage, according to an
article by Simon Hart in the Telegraph.
If scientists give him the all-clear, the International
Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) will have no choice but
to allow him to compete in mainstream races, including a possible
appearance in Beijing, China, next year if he achieves the 400
meters qualifying time or is selected for the relay. Pistorius has
agreed to take part in a series of experiments at the German Sport
University in Cologne under the supervision of Peter Bruggemann,
PhD, one of the world's leading experts in biomechanics.
The central issue is whether Pistorius's artificial legs are
effectively technical aids that make him run faster than he would
if he were an able-bodied athlete. Questions have been raised about
his stride length, the amount of bounce he receives from the
blades, and the way he appears to quicken in the final stages of a
race when able-bodied athletes would normally be tiring.
"The idea is to test the prosthetics in terms of how they
react," IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said.
Marathon Runner Wins 'Peoples Choice Heroes' Award
 Amy Palmiero-Winters, a single
mother of two, world-class marathon runner, and triathlete from
Hicksville, New York, has won the Runners World "2007
Peoples Choice Heroes of Running" award. Since 2004, Runners
World has presented annual awards to inspirational runners of
all levels. Palmiero-Winters was also nominated for the 2006 ESPY
(Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) award for best female
athlete with a disability.
"There are so many heroes in the sports world. To be included
with all of these great athletes is quite an honor,"
Palmiero-Winters said.
Palmiero-Winters is the current world record holder in the
Olympic distance triathlon (2:25) and marathon (Chicago, Illinois,
2006; 3:04.16) for female transtibial amputees.
Table Of Contents - December 2007
|
|
