German Britta wins individual championship Grade II gold
8/9/2008 17:57
German rider Naepel Britta won the first Para-equestrian individual
championship Grade II gold medal of the Beijing Paralympic Games at the Shatin
Equestrian Venue today.
Britta ranked first out of the 18 riders with 71.900
percentage points. The silver went to Barwick Lauren of Canada who scored 68.454
points and Nielsen c.c. of Denmark took the bronze with 68.182
points.
Meanwhile, Peng Yulian of China and Yip Sui Hong of China's Hong Kong
made Paralympic Games history today when they stepped out to compete in the
Grade II individual championship test in dressage at Shatin arena.
It was the
first time that China and China's Hong Kong sent riders in the Para-dressage
events.
Peng placed 9th with 64.545 percentage points while Yip scored 50.545
points to rank the 18th.
In an interview with reporters after competition,
Peng said "I was quite satisfied. It was an honor to represent China in the
Paralympic Games. I just want to do my best in the Games, regardless of the
ranking. I have chosen some lively music for the freestyle on Wednesday."
For
his part, Yip said "both the horse and I did our best in the arena. I am
satisfied with the performance, no matter how much the score is."
"We have
been working very well. But the spectators in the arena made me a bit excited
and also nervous", he added.
At an early age, Peng, now 22, suffered from
poliomyelitis which left his legs paralyzed. In overcoming his disability, he
trained in archery and played wheelchair basketball in his secondary school
years, and also took up riding.
Yip, 39, has difficulty in using his legs
because of cerebral palsy. His attraction to riding began at the age of eight
with a visit to the local Riding for the Disabled Association. That gave him an
opportunity to begin to learn about horses. But it was not until 2001 that he
decided to take up riding seriously as a hobby.
Peng and Yip will also
compete in freestyle tests on Sept.
Xinhua
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