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Lane calls for more recruits as most successful team of modern times touches down in Britain

ParalympicsGB’s most successful team of modern times returns to Britain today and whilst their Chef de Mission, Phil Lane, hailed their 102-medal haul performance as “exceptional” he still called for more recruits to Paralympic sport in time for London 2012.

“Our team in Beijing have been fabulous but if we’re to challenge hard for the very top in four years time we need to identify new athletes now. There is still time in some sports”.

He urged disabled people around the UK to log onto www.parasport.org.uk to see if they have what it takes. “Parasport is all about putting disabled people in touch with sport for enjoyment and competition and, who knows, some of them may end up on the podium in London”.

Meanwhile the 2008 team was celebrating their remarkable achievements. Their 102-medal tally, including 42 gold, 29 silver and 31 bronze medals, put GB second only to hosts, China, and above the USA, on the medal table to far outstrip pre-Games aspirations of a top 3-5. It also bettered ParalympicsGB 2004 total of 94 medals of which 35 were gold.

“I think by anyone’s standards our performance has been impressive”, added Lane.

80 athletes return to these shores as Paralympic medallists, 30 of them gold medallists. Britain also topped the individual medals table in the sports of track cycling, equestrian and rowing.

Darren Kenny, a track cyclist, was the team’s most-celebrated individual in China, winning four golds and a silver. Swimmer Dave Roberts now has 11 Paralympic golds after adding four more to his Athens and Sydney achievements. Flamboyant equestrian rider Lee Pearson has taken his individual tally to nine golds after adding three more from his sport’s events in China which were held in Hong Kong.

Meanwhile swimmer Eleanor Simmonds stole hearts as ParalympicsGB’s youngest team member, aged just 13, who took two golds in some emotional scenes at Beijing’s awesome Water Cube. She thus became GB’s youngest individual event Paralympic champion of all-time.

“For a 13 year-old to have won two golds is fabulous”, said Lane. “Many of our champions have defended titles, too, and there are a whole range of people who have stepped up and won gold medals”.

With 1441 days to go today to the London 2012 Paralympic Games (from August 29 – 9 September) individual sports and athletes will soon be returning to training and competition with London in their sights.

Some 58 per cent of the 206 British Paralympians in China were first-timers, and the performances of younger competitors at the 2008 Games point towards continuing success in 2012.

“Many of our young people in the squad have achieved personal bests and season’s bests”, Lane said. “This has been a great experience for them and will stand them in good stead for the future”.

“We hope that we’ve made people proud of our Paralympians and willing to help us repeat our success in four years time. Anyone interested in backing the team should visit https://www.btplc.com/paralympicsgb to see some powerful images of the team in action and, perhaps, be moved to support us”, he added.

Lane also paid tribute to the funding available through the national lottery and to the team.

Last night Mayor of London Boris Johnson received the Paralympic flag at the Closing Ceremony in the Bird’s Nest stadium as London took over as the next host city of the Paralympic Games.

Johnson said he was “lost in admiration and awe for the achievements of the British team”.

“Their fantastic achievements have surpassed the country’s wildest expectations”.

“They have delivered for us and now we must deliver for them, and for all disabled Londoners and visitors. Our team have tremendous heart and ability. It is up to us to provide the infrastructure so that they can excel. I have no doubt we will.

“Beijing gives us a superb challenge and a fantastic platform to go forward. We will work to make sure London is the most accessible Games ever”.

Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell also praised the British team.

“We will leave Beijing with a great sense of thrill and uplift”, she said. “There are many lessons we must apply rigorously. From our athletes we have learned about working as a team, that the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

“The Paralympic Games in many ways has set the bar even higher than the Olympics”, she added.

Press release kindly supplied by Andrew McCarthy, Paralympics GB at the Paralympic Games