Two athletes on the WAIS Individual Athlete Support Program scholarship system have enjoyed some success in the past week, with Olympian Clayton Fredericks and Paralympian Darren Gardiner both in action in their respective sports.
Equestrian athlete and Beijing silver medallist Clayton Fredericks earned Australia a qualifying spot for next year’s London Olympics after competing in the cross-country at the Lexington CCI 4.
Riding a new mount named Be My Guest, Fredericks secured a fifth position and said that the horse was showing good signs of progress after being groomed for competition at the Fredericks stables in England.
“Be My Guest performed extremely well,” Fredericks said. “Her cross-country was flawless and fast under tough conditions.”
The result is a major boost for Fredericks as it gives him a strong chance to compete in a second consecutive Olympic campaign, providing form and fitness remains in tact.
WAIS Powerlifter Darren Gardiner – who won silver at the Beijing Paralympics – recently competed at the Arafura Games in Darwin, winning the Oceania category, and placing fourth overall.
Gardiner, or “The Bear” as he is affectionately known due to a pre-routine habit of roaring to pump himself up, lifted an astonishing 230kg, before narrowly missing at 237.5kg, which would have been a new personal best and Australian record.
The powerlifting is adjudged using the AH Formula, which is based on a body weight coefficient formula versus weight lifted on competition dayto give a final score.
On the AH formula the competition is run as an open event. This means everyone in all different body weight divisions competes for one set of medals.
For more info on The Bear’s success from Arafura, click here.
