PARALYMPIC AND PARA SPORTS NEWS

USA win World Sledge Hockey Challenge gold
USA defeated Canada, 1-0, for first place and Norway beat Japan, 5-0, for third place at the World Sledge Hockey Challenge in Calgary.

No. 23: Freney bags 8th gold in exhilarating relay
The women’s 4x100m medley relay 34 points in London could not have been closer, with Australia’s Jacqueline Freney touching the wall first for her eighth gold at the Games.

No. 24: UAE’s unexpected champion
UAE shooting athlete Abdullah Alaryani created the No. 24 moment of 2012 when he beat 28-time Paralympic medallist Jonas Jacobsson for gold.
McCoy, Westlake set up USA-Canada final
Daniel McCoy scored twice for USA and Greg Westlake notched two goals and three assists for Canada in the World Sledge Hockey Challenge semi-finals.
NPC Senegal workshop attracts 17 nations
Dakar, Senegal held a five-day workshop this week to improve administration, officials and coaching in the Paralympic Movement in Africa.

London 2012 hype translates to British sledge hockey
British sledge hockey player Matt Coleman discusses the team’s development as they head to the New Year’s Cup in Russia this weekend.

Paralympic swimmer Sanchez receives Mexican sport award
Eighteen-year-old Gustavo Sanchez was Mexico’s most successful Paralympic athlete at the London 2012 Games.

No. 25: Brazil finish 1-2-3
Terezinha Guilhermina, Jerusa Geber Santos and Jhulia Santos made a clean sweep of the 100m T11 final at London 2012, which comes in as the No. 25 moment of the year.
Canada tip USA at World Sledge Hockey Challenge
Canada defeated arch-rival USA, 2-1, and Norway claimed a 1-0 shootout victory against Japan in Calgary.

NPC Russia visits cerebral palsy boarding school
Several Paralympic champions visited Moscow Boarding School No. 44 this week to spread the Paralympic Movement to the next generation.