Irish Paralympic legend Leahy plans to paint Beijing landscape
8/9/2008 17:59
As a sports legend, Tom Leahy of Ireland has won six medals in six
Paralympic Games and hopefully will collect one more in the Beijing Paralympics.
As a painter, he plans to draw landscape about Beijing city.
Tough Leahy
failed to cruise to the boccia quarter-finals in the mixed individual BC2 after
two losses yesterday and one win today in Group B, he was still very confident
with his foreground in Beijing.
"I had a headache yesterday and that's why I
didn't do well. I will attend the team competition, aiming at one medal," Leahy
told Xinhua.
The 51-year-old man with inborn cerebral palsy is a frequenter
at the Paralympics as he competed in all seven Games since the New York
Pralympics in 1984. He took golds in shot put in 2004 and three silvers in
discus throw in Sydney and two bronzes in Atlanta.
"My hip was hurt for
several years and I can't practise shot and discus anymore. Then I began to
focus on boccia," Leahy explained.
Leahy is a painter in Ireland, drawing
landscapes for children's books and once holding an exhibition of his works at
home.
"I took photos in the Paralympic village as well as the Great Wall. I
will visit more places in Beijing as long as I have time. Definitely, I will
draw pictures about this city after I come back home," he said.
"Beijing
Paralympics is the best I have ever experienced. When I finish all the
competition, I will watch the track & field competitions."
Boccia,
derived from the Latin word for ball, is a traditional recreational sport dating
back to the ancient Greeks - a ball tossing game where points are awarded for
accuracy.
It is played in 42 countries and regions and is governed by the
International Boccia Committee (IBC) under the Cerebral Palsy International
Sports and Recreation Association.
Xinhua
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