Australia men's national goalball team
| Australian national men's women's goalball team | |
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| Association: | Goalball Australia, Australian Paralympic Committee |
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| Paralympic Medals: |  :  :  : |
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| World Championship Medals: | : : : |
Squad
The team generally has nine members. The Paralympic Preparation Program has provided scholarships to help fund player training. Goalball national team members who have been part of this program include Warren Lawton, Robert Crestani and Kevin Frew. Crestani, Lawton and Frew all competed at the 1996 Paralympics. For Lawton, it was his third Paralympics as a goalball player. Crestani and Frew had both been on the national squad three times before, with the 2000 Summer Paralympics as their fourth time competing in the event.[1]
Competition
Paralympics
New York hosted the 1984 Summer Paralympics where thirteen teams participated and the team finished last.[2]
At the 1996 Summer Paralympics, the team finished in fourth place.[1] This was the country's best finish in an international competition. The team had played a number of international matches prior to the start of the games. The team also had an extended training camp in Australia prior to the start of the games. The training camp included psychological preparations.[3] The start of the men's team was Robert Crestani. His ability to throw the ball and his offensive tactics helped the team remain competitive. Other key players for the team included Warren Lawton and Gerrard Gosens. These three players were on the court for almost the whole competition.[3] In pool play, they beat Italy 5–2, the Czech Republic 7–0, the Netherlands 3–2. They drew with Germany 3–3 and Slovenia 4–4. In the Qualification round, they lost to Finland 1–4, drew with Spain 3–3 and lost to Canada 1–3. In the medal elimination round, they lost to Canada 2–3. In the bronze medal match, they lost to Spain 2–6.[3] Australia's win over Italy is important in the team's history because the Italian team was ranked number one in the world coming into the Paralympic games.[3]
World championships
At the 1998 International Blind Sports Association World Championships held in Madrid, Spain, the Australian team finished ninth.[1]
Training
The team frequently has training camps in preparation for major tournaments including the Paralympic Games and the International Blind Sports Association World Championships.[1]
Coaching
In 1999, the men's national goalball team coach was Sam Theodore. The assistant coach was Robert Apps.[1]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Australian Paralympic Committee 1999, p. 22
- ↑ "Final Ranking in Paralympic Games". Madrid, Spain: International Blind Sports Association. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 Australian Paralympic Federation 1996, p. 30
Bibliography
- Australian Paralympic Committee (September 1999). "Goalball – Men". Annual Report – 1999. Sydney, Australia: Australian Paralympic Committee.
- Australian Paralympic Federation (1996). Golden days of Atlanta : Xth Paralympic Games Atlanta, Georgia, August 15–25, 1996. Sydney. OCLC 222120061. Missing or empty
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