Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 51, October 2013 | Page 14

Pre Race Fuel Start… Paralympic South Africa has produced many inspirational athletes who have overcome tremendous obstacles in their quest for sporting glory, and one of the most inspirational is Paralympic gold medallist Ilse Hayes. With an injury-plagued year behind her, she is now looking ahead to building up to Rio 2016 – and chasing more medals. – BY SEAN FALCONER L ast year was quite some year for track and field star Ilse Hayes. Competing in the T13/F13 class for visually impaired athletes, she won gold in the long jump and silver in the 100m at the London Paralympic Games, an exact repeat of her medal haul at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, to go with the bronze she won in the 400m at the 2004 Athens Games. However, she competed in London despite a badly torn quad muscle, then in February tore a calf, followed by a disk in her back in May. That meant she went to the IPC World Champs in France in August having done very little training – and no long jump training at all – but came close to a PB in the 100m in a warm-up race in Germany, then jumped further in Lyon tha ???????????????????????1????????qM?????????????????????????????t???????????q ?????1?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????e?????????$?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q?????????????????????????????$???????????$??????????????????????????????????$??????????????????????????????????????????????????$??????????????t????%???????????????????????????????????????????????????!?????????????????????????????????????????????????]???? ?????????????????????????????????????????????M???????????qQ?????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????I?????)%??????? ??????%???!????()M?????????????? ??????I??????????????????????e?9????=???????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q??? ???? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q???????????????????e??? ????((??()%MMU???= Q= H??????????????????????????((0