While an administrative oversight may have affected Nick Riches’ chances of a top-three finish in Barcelona, the athlete still performed exceptionally.
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Riches recently competed at the World Cerebral Palsy Games in Spain, where he was a part of the Australian athletics team.
Riches competed in four events, including the 100 metre race, the 200 metre race, the 400 metre and the long jump.
The athlete was put into a higher division than he was previously classified for, with competitors that were classified as having less severe disabilities. This was due to a high number of competitors and small amount of race assessors.
Riches was motivated by the higher division of competition, as he narrowly missed out on a bronze finish with two fourth place finishes as well as three personal best times. In the 100 metre race, Riches crossed the finish line with a time 14”03. During the 200 metre race, Riches finished with a time of 29”97, and in the 400 metre race, he achieved a time 1’11”64.
During the competition, Riches competed against other athletes from different countries including the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, Spain, Thailand, Austria, Poland and Sweden.
Riches’ father Terry Riches said the competition was a worthwhile experience for the athlete.
“He did really well to get three personal bests. It was a great journey, and a great experience,” he said.
About 600 athletes from 30 countries competed in the World Cerebral Palsy Games.
Athletes competed in a range of sports including para-athletics and race running, para-swimming and cerebral palsy football.
[Nick] did really well to get three personal bests. It was a great journey, and a great experience.
- Terry Riches
There were also development sports including boccia, female cerebral palsy football and wheelchair slalom. Riches has achieved several feats in the sporting world this year. The athlete competed in the Commonwealth Games Rugby League Championship in Queensland earlier this year, as a part of the first ever Australian disabled rugby league team.
The Australian team won 4-nil against New Zealand in the finals of the championship competition.
In July, Riches also competed in the annual gala cup competition for special needs football teams within the Sydney area.
Riches’ team, the North Shore Tigers, won its division despite being the smallest team in size and age.