Australian triathlon, US football 7 athletes named

The final positions of the 2016 Australian Paralympic Team have been confirmed, with seven athletes named for Para triathlon at Rio 2106. That brings the Australian Paralympic Committees final selection size to 169 athletes from 15 sports.

Five-time world champion Bill Chaffey (PT1) headlines the roster. He will be joined by world champions Katie Kelly (PT5) with Sydney 2000 Olympian, and guide, Michellie Jones, Kate Doughty (PT4), Claire McLean (PT4), Nic Beveridge (PT1) and Brant Garvey (PT2).

Chaffey will be Australia’s most experienced Para triathlete, having competed at six World Championships since 2009 and winning five.

“My goal for Rio is to win and do everything I can to get to the top of the podium. I’m focusing 100 per cent on giving my best to get the top result,” Chaffey said.

“I have had a lot of success in World Championships, but to chase victory at the Paralympic Games is the most exciting thing.

“It’s still surreal to be representing Australia at this level. I never set out to be known, I set out to compete for me and to never stop improving. But to know the country is watching, I hope I can make them as proud of my performance as I will be.”

For Kelly, her selection continues a rapid rise in the sport after she stormed to victory in her first World Championship appearance in 2015.

“Being selected to represent Australia at the Paralympic Games is an experience I never imagined might happen to me. It is an incredible honour and I’m most excited about being part of such an amazing team that has had a rich history since 1960 at the Paralympics,” Kelly said.

PT1 Men - Nic Beveridge, Bill Chaffey

PT2 Men - Brant Garvey

PT4 Women - Claire Mclean, Kate Doughty

PT5 Women: Katie Kelly

US football 7-a-side

US Paralympic national team head coach Stuart Sharp has named a 14-player roster for their football 7-a-side team.

“We have set some targets for ourselves to achieve in Brazil,” said Sharp. “It’s not going to be easy competing against the top seven countries in the world. The one thing for sure is that we will not be going to the Brazil to accept anything less than fully committed performances – as a tight unit we have the belief that our team possesses the technical ability and collective desire to achieve the extraordinary.”

Five players are returning to the Paralympic Games after competing at London 2012, including goalkeeper Alex Hendricks, defenders Bryce Boarman and Gavin Sibayan and midfielders Adam Ballou and Tyler Bennett.

Eighteen-year old Mason Abbiate is the youngest player on the roster and one of nine first-time Paralympic Games players. The group includes three former and one current member of the US military.

The US will kick off Group A play on 8 September against fourth-ranked the Netherlands, followed by matches against second-ranked Russia 10 September and sixth-ranked Argentina 12 September. Group B contains Brazil, Great Britain, Ireland and Ukraine. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals on 14 September, with the medal matches set for 16 September.

Goalkeepers: Sean Boyle, Alex Hendricks

Defenders: Bryce Boarman, David Garza, Gavin Sibayan

Midfielders: Mason Abbiate, Tyler Bennett, Steven Bohlemann, Gregory Brigman, Josh Brunais, Kevin Hensley

Forwards: Adam Ballou, Drew Bremer, Seth Jahn

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Sport fans from around the world can now buy their Paralympic tickets for Rio 2016 from authorised ticket resellers (ATRs)

The IPC’s Global ATR is Jet Set Sports, and Rio 2016 tickets and packages can be purchased on the CoSport website.

Residents of Brazil can buy 2016 Paralympics tickets directly from the Rio 2016 website.

Visa International is the exclusive payment card and the official payment system for the Paralympic Games.