Don’t despair as the curtain is spectacularly brought down on the Paralympic Games in London, capping the end of a fantastic summer of sport in the United Kingdom. This iconic year still has plenty to offer.
From 28th to 30th September, the Ryder Cup takes place and before that, the ICC World Twenty20 – essentially cricket’s ‘other’ World Cup – starts in Sri Lanka. (We’ve also got the Futsal World Cup in November, the conclusion of the F1 World Championship, the Rugby Championship and the ATP Tour finals.)
At least our Great British representatives on the Ryder Cup team are guaranteed at least a silver medal. If the men will probably feel the loss of Kevin Pietersen too keenly to successfully defend their title in Sri Lanka, I will be surprised if the Women don’t reach the semi-finals and they will be desperate to avenge their poor performance in 2010 and become world champions once again.
As I write, they have won 16 straight matches in Twenty20 cricket, and while that record pales into insignificance with the run of 470 matches of wheelchair matches since Esther Vergeer last tasted defeat, it is some effort and they have to go in as favourites, with Australia and New Zealand the other major contenders.
As for a highlight of the London Games themselves, I would pick out Gemma Gibbons’ remarkable run to a silver medal in the judo as my highlight of the summer. While she is not a household name รก la Jessica Ennis, Oscar Pistorius or Ben Ainslie, while she was fighting, I was doing no work. Those who know me will appreciate what that means.
Aside from the emotion she carried into the competition following the death of her mother, the drama captivated me as until the final, she won her bouts having needed to gain vital points in the final seconds.
Like London itself, when the time came – she delivered.