Where and when to watch region's Paralympians go for gold
Three of Moreton Bay Region's four Paralympic swimmers are in action tomorrow – the first day of competition in Tokyo.
Double Paralympic champion Brenden Hall, from Mango Hill, pictured above, is in the opening event, the Men’s 400m Freestyle S9 at 10am (AEST).
The 28 year old ranked second in the world, is chasing a hat-trick but faces tough competition from team-mates Alex Tuckfield and Will Martin, ranked three and four.
Going for gold
Hall will be followed minutes later by Lakeisha Patterson, from Caboolture, in the Women’s 400m Freestyle S9.
'Lucky', who won gold in Rio 2016 as an S8 swimmer, has the fastest time this year in the S9 400m Freestyle.
Their events then kick-off the first session of evening finals from 6pm tomorrow.
Paralympic debut
Kirralee Hayes, of Genesis Aquatics in Bray Park, is making her Paralympic debut in the green and gold tomorrow.
The 17 year old launches her campaign in the Women’s 100m Butterfly S13 at 11.46am at Tokyo Aquatic Centre.
Blake Cochrane, the former Southern Cross swimmer (see feature picture) had a late call-up and is in his fourth Games.
Cochrane, who now swims at USC Spartans, is in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke S7 on Sunday.
Where to watch
The Paralympic will feature two new sports, badminton and taekwondo ... the latter with Warner’s Janine Watson as Australia’s first ever representative.
The 40-year-old is a three-time world champion, but will have to adapt in Tokyo where the Para Taekwondo discipline of Kyorugi (full contact sparring) is used.
Watson's preparations are going well. She flies out on Saturday and competes a week later on September 4. Her session begins at 11am (AEST).
Mayor Peter Flannery said: “Since the end of the Olympics, I’ve been itching to watch our Aussie athletes shine on the world stage again, especially our five superstars from Moreton Bay Region.
“With just over 4400 athletes from across the globe competing at the Paralympics, it’s incredible to know we have five locals from here.
“Each with their own extraordinary story, these local athletes will help uplift a nation grappling with COVID-19 outbreaks.
“Beyond the two weeks of competition, their drive to overcome adversity will leave a greater impact, inspiring us all to never give up, no matter our ability and especially through this pandemic.”
TV coverage
The Tokyo Paralympics' opening ceremony is tonight at 9pm with coverage from August 25-September 5 on Channel Seven and 7Plus.
There will be 539 events across 22 sports in 13 days. Here are the dates and times of our local Paralympians.
Times and dates
Brenden Hall
August 25: Heat Men’s 400m Freestyle S9 10am | Final 6pm
August 30: Heat Men’s 100m Backstroke S9 10.07am | Final 6.14pm
September 2: Heat Men’s 100m Butterfly S9 10.33am | Final 6.22pm
Lakeisha Patterson
August 25: Heat Women’s 400m Freestyle S9 10.13am | Final 6.10pm.
Possible: Women’s 34-Point Freestyle relay
Kirralee Hayes
August 25: Heat Women’s 100m Butterfly S13 11.46am | Final 8.38pm
August 29: Heat Women’s 50m Freestyle S13 11.20am | Final 7.17pm
Blake Cochrane
September 1: Final Men’s 100m Breaststroke SB7 6pm
Janine Watson
September 4: Taekwondo session begins at 11am.