Royal Southampton’s Helena Lucas is to go to the Beijing Paralympics, after being selected among six of Britain’s top disabled sailors for the games at Qingdao.
She will represent Great Britain in the 2.4mR one-person keelboat.
Helena, who turns 33 at the end of this month was a reserve for the Sonar crew in Athens 2004, however this will be her first Paralympics as a full competitor.
She finished fourth in the selection regatta in January – the Rolex Miami Olympic Classes Regatta – and won silver at the 2006 World Championship to secure Britain a place in this class in Beijing.
The Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games opens on September 6 and closes on September 17. The sailing events at the Games take place in Qingdao in East China at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Centre and will run from September 8 with finals scheduled for September 13.
Helena has only been sailing in a 2.4mR since January 2004 and has been campaigning hard for the Beijing Paralympics, having achieved a series of good results to show for it, finishing 3rd at the Open Worlds in September 2005 and 2nd at the IFDS worlds in January 2006.
Last July she was asked by Shirley Robertson to stand in as helm for her Yngling crew for the PreOlympic Test event in Qingdao.
Said Helena: “We went to the regatta with no expectations, I had never sailed an Yngling before and we had had no time to practice, before departing for China. We had an amazing regatta finishing in silver an achievement that still has not properly sunk in.”
ParalympicsGB chief executive Phil Lane, said: "To be selected for a Paralympic Games is the pinnacle of an athlete’s career and an achievement that these athletes should be proud of. We wish them the best of luck over the next few months as they put in their final preparations for the Games.”
