Athletics at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

Athletics at the 2008 Summer Paralympics is being held in Beijing National Stadium from September 8 to September 17. There are 160 gold medals in this sport.

Classification

Athletes are given a classification depending on the type and extent of their disability. The classification system allows athletes to compete against others with a similar level of function.

The athletics classifications are:
*11–13: Blind athletes
*32–38: Athletes with cerebral palsy
*40: Les Autres (including people who suffer from dwarfism)
*42–46: Amputees
*51–58: Athletes with a spinal cord disability

The class numbers are given prefixes of "T" , "F" and "P" for track, field and pentathlon events, respectively.

Events

For each of the events below, medals are contested for one or more of the above classifications.

;Men's events
*100 m x13
*200 m x11
*400 m x10
*800 m x8
*1500 m x4
*5000 m x4
*10000 m x1
*4×100 m Relay x4
*4×400 m Relay x1
*Marathon x4
*Club throw x1
*Discus throw x10
*High jump x1
*Javelin throw x8
*Long jump x5
*Shot put x11
*Triple jump x2
*Pentathlon x2; Women's events
*100 m x12
*200 m x11
*400 m x4
*800 m x3
*1500 m x2
*5000 m x1
*4×100 m relay x1
*Marathon x1
*Discus throw x8
*Javelin throw x5
*Long jump x4
*Shot put x8

Qualification

There will be 1035 athletes (710 male, 325 female) taking part in the athletics competitions.

Medal summary

Medal table

This ranking sorts countries by the number of gold medals earned by their athletes (in this context a nation is an entity represented by a National Paralympic Committee). The number of silver medals is taken into consideration next and then the number of bronze medals. If, after the above, countries are still tied, equal ranking is given and they are listed alphabetically. [http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRMP/ENG/INF/AT/C95/AT0000000.shtml]

† Diane Roy was initially awarded the gold, Shelly Woods the silver and Amanda McGrory the bronze in the women's 5000 m T54. However a re-run of the race was ordered by the International Paralympic Committee following protests by the Australian, US and Swiss teams after 6 competitors were involved in a crash on the penultimate lap. [cite web |title=Woods forced to give back medal |publisher=BBC Sport |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/disability_sport/7605052.stm |accessdate=2008-09-08] The re-run race resulted in the same three athletes winning medals but in a different order. [cite web |title=Woods battles to bronze in re-run |publisher=BBC Sport |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/disability_sport/7611699.stm |accessdate=2008-09-12]

†† Rebecca Chin of Great Britain was originally awarded the silver medal in the women's discus throw F37-38 event. Following a challenge to her classification, Chin was deemed ineligible for the event, stripped of her medal, and her results were erased.cite web |title=Rebecca Chin stripped of Paralympic silver by 'failing' system |publisher=The Daily Telegraph |date=2008-09-15 |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/paralympicsport/2959412/Chin-stripped-of-silver-by-failing-system---Paralympics.html |accessdate=2008-09-18]

References

* cite web
title = Schedules and Results - Athletics
publisher = The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad
url = http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRMP/ENG/Schedule/AT.shtml
accessdate = 2008-09-08

External links

* [http://en.paralympic.beijing2008.cn Offical Site of the 2008 Summer Paralympics]