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Posted on Nov 11, 2013

Top 50 Paralympic Moments Of 2013

For the final 50 days of 2013, the IPC will count down the year’s top moments in the Paralympic Movement, culminating with the year’s best moment on 31 December.

by Paralympics

Community Contributor

paralympic.org / Via paralympic.org

Dubbed the ‘Amphibian Namibian’ in national media, Gideon Nasilowski entered the record books as the first Namibian ever to enter an international swimming competition at the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal, Canada.
The 28 year-old proved doubters, including his friends, wrong, by entering three events following work between the Agitos Foundation and his National Paralympic Committee.

paralympic.org / Via paralympic.org

Dubbed the ‘Amphibian Namibian’ in national media, Gideon Nasilowski entered the record books as the first Namibian ever to enter an international swimming competition at the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal, Canada.
The 28 year-old proved doubters, including his friends, wrong, by entering three events following work between the Agitos Foundation and his National Paralympic Committee.

Via paralympic.org

Heading into the 2013 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in La Molina, Spain, all the pressure was on host nation favourite Jon Santacana.
The visually impaired skier, a three-time Paralympian, entered the Championships in his prime, with the crowd ready to see him go down the hill at 100km per hour nearly blind behind his guide, Miguel Galindo Garces.

Via paralympic.org

Heading into the 2013 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in La Molina, Spain, all the pressure was on host nation favourite Jon Santacana.
The visually impaired skier, a three-time Paralympian, entered the Championships in his prime, with the crowd ready to see him go down the hill at 100km per hour nearly blind behind his guide, Miguel Galindo Garces.

paralympic.org

France’s Souhad Ghazouani could not have started her road to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games on a higher note this year, having recorded a world-record lift of 150kg to win gold in the women’s -73kg category at the 2013 IPC Powerlifting Open European Championships.
Just how much was it? Think about it this way – her lift was equivalent to 120 bottles of wine.

paralympic.org

France’s Souhad Ghazouani could not have started her road to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games on a higher note this year, having recorded a world-record lift of 150kg to win gold in the women’s -73kg category at the 2013 IPC Powerlifting Open European Championships.
Just how much was it? Think about it this way – her lift was equivalent to 120 bottles of wine.

Via paralympic.org

On 1 November, some of the top men’s and women’s goalball teams headed to the 2013 IBSA Goalball European Championships in Konya, Turkey, aiming to remain in the A division and claim their spots at the 2014 IBSA Goalball World Championships in Finland.
Nine days later, the men’s competition ended in a way nobody predicted – Lithuania defeated Spain for gold with a thrilling shoot-out victory.

Via paralympic.org

On 1 November, some of the top men’s and women’s goalball teams headed to the 2013 IBSA Goalball European Championships in Konya, Turkey, aiming to remain in the A division and claim their spots at the 2014 IBSA Goalball World Championships in Finland.
Nine days later, the men’s competition ended in a way nobody predicted – Lithuania defeated Spain for gold with a thrilling shoot-out victory.

Wheelchair dance sport made some big steps forward in 2013.
The sport has ventured into social media for the first time with the launch of its very own Facebook page – attracting hundreds of fans in just the first few days – as well as a new website and the introduction of sponsor advertising on wheelchairs and competition dress.
There were also three major competitions, with the Continents Cup in Moscow, Russia, being the biggest.

It only took about 40 seconds for Mendy Swoboda to paddle his way to a second consecutive canoe world title in 2013.
In just 40.79, to be exact, the Austrian above-the-knee amputee sprinted the entirety of the K1 men’s 200m TA final to finish first at the 2013 ICF Para-Canoe World Championships in Duisburg, Germany.

Via paralympic.org

Panfeng Feng could not have followed up his London 2012 double-gold Paralympic performance with a better year.
China’s star table tennis player dominated the 2013 ITTF Para-Table Tennis Asian Championships at home in Beijing, winning gold in both the men’s Class 3 singles and team events to vault himself to No. 2 in the world rankings.

Via paralympic.org

Panfeng Feng could not have followed up his London 2012 double-gold Paralympic performance with a better year.
China’s star table tennis player dominated the 2013 ITTF Para-Table Tennis Asian Championships at home in Beijing, winning gold in both the men’s Class 3 singles and team events to vault himself to No. 2 in the world rankings.

On the final day of the 2013 Roland Garros wheelchair tennis tournament, France’s Stephane Houdet defeated Japan’s world No. 1 Shingo Kunieda for the men’s singles title in a three-hour, three-set match, before partnering with him later in the day to win the doubles title.

Via paralympic.org

Australia’s Bill Chaffey was as shocked as anyone else once he crossed the finish line at the ITU Para-Triathlon World Championships in London in September.
The veteran para-triathlete claimed his fourth world title in the most thrilling, if not testing, of ways by coming from behind to pass up Dutchman Jetze Plat in the final 300m in the men’s TRI-1 class.

Via paralympic.org

Australia’s Bill Chaffey was as shocked as anyone else once he crossed the finish line at the ITU Para-Triathlon World Championships in London in September.
The veteran para-triathlete claimed his fourth world title in the most thrilling, if not testing, of ways by coming from behind to pass up Dutchman Jetze Plat in the final 300m in the men’s TRI-1 class.

Throughout 2013, para-athletes at all levels have started reaping the benefits from the worldwide exposure of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
At the elite level, countless Paralympians have been picked up by sponsors, while at the grassroots level para-athletes have made appearances in commercials, on billboards and in various advertising campaigns.

When Brazil lifted the Copa America in September, it was no great surprise. After all, they were the favourites.
Yet it is the legacy they continued which is truly remarkable.
That latest success meant the Brazilians have not lost a major football 5-a-side international tournament since 1996.

At the end of last season, Bibian Mentel completely dominated her a snowboard cross Test Event for Sochi 2014, beating her competitors with a time that would have seen her collect silver in the men’s event.
Finishing just 0.3 seconds behind American superstar Evan Strong, Mentel’s time of 1:28.10 would have cleared silver medallist Mike Shea by 0.20 seconds had she been competing with the men that day.

In 2013, ESPN’s Outside the Lines programme “Carry On” follow-up episode caught the attention of millions, and social media was alit with people wanting to share the personal story of London 2012 Paralympic bronze medallist judoka Dartanyon Crockett.
Former ESPN producer Lisa Fenn never expected her behind-the-scenes story of Crockett’s journey to becoming a Paralympian to explode the way it did.

Via paralympic.org

Having been elected unopposed on the previous two occasions, fellow Governing Board member Alan Dickson stood against Sir Philip this time around, adding a little extra spice to the proceedings.

Via paralympic.org

Having been elected unopposed on the previous two occasions, fellow Governing Board member Alan Dickson stood against Sir Philip this time around, adding a little extra spice to the proceedings.

Via paralympic.org

It was the leap of the Championships: 7.95m.
No one in the world of para-athletics has ever jumped that far. That is, until Germany’s Markus Germany did last summer during the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France.

Via paralympic.org

It was the leap of the Championships: 7.95m.
No one in the world of para-athletics has ever jumped that far. That is, until Germany’s Markus Germany did last summer during the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France.

Via paralympic.org

Guus Bijlard’s parents did not attend August’s IFDS Sailing World Championships in Kinsale, Ireland, because their son had just taken up the one-person keelboat six months prior and thought it would be extreme to think he had any chance of medalling.

Via paralympic.org

Guus Bijlard’s parents did not attend August’s IFDS Sailing World Championships in Kinsale, Ireland, because their son had just taken up the one-person keelboat six months prior and thought it would be extreme to think he had any chance of medalling.

Via paralympic.org

The importance of anti-doping in para-sport was given new life in August, at the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal, Canada.
IPC Swimming, the global governing body of the sport, led the way in rolling out new methods of reaching athletes and teams and striking right at their heart of their shop window – major competition.

paralympic.org

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) made great strides in classification research during 2013, as the first of two IPC Classification Research and Development Centres opened in Australia and the Netherlands.