O’Hanlon Wants Fastest Paralympian Title

Australia’s Paralympic and World 100m and 200m Champion Evan O’Hanlon has laid down the gauntlet ahead of London 2012 stating that he is not just targeting gold at next year’s Games but the title of world’s fastest Paralympian.

In an interview with The Paralympian, the official publication of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the 22-year-old who has cerebral palsy said he is determined to make the most of his time as a Paralympic athlete and that does not just mean winning more medals.

“I know my sporting career is going to be short so I’ve got to try and fill it with as much as possible,” explained O’Hanlon who is the world-record holder for the 100m T38 with a time of 10.96 seconds.

“In the 100m I hope that I can get it down to about 10.7 something, but I’d really love to get it down to like 10.6 because that’s the fastest Paralympian in the world at the moment.”

Currently Ireland’s visually impaired T13 athlete Jason Smyth is the fastest Paralympian having run 10.62 seconds in Beijing in 2008.

“It might be a bit hard for me to get there as I’ve got cerebral palsy and he’s blind, but I’d love to take that off him but I don’t know if that’s going to happen,” said O’Hanlon.

In The Paralympian’s profile of O’Hanlon, the athlete explains that he originally wanted to be a rugby player but his doctor told him to give up due to too many knocks on the head.

He also talks about how the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games inspired him to become a Paralympian, gives advice to others considering an athletics career and provides an insight into what it is like to win a Paralympic gold medal.