Jamaica's medallists at the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece, Alphanso Cunningham (left) and Tanto Campbell who won gold and bronze respectively, show off their silverware shortly after arriving in the island yesterday at the Norman Manley International Airport.
-Rudolph Brown photo
LeVaughn Flynn, Staff Reporter
ALPHANSO Cunningham and Tanto Campbell, Jamaica's two medallists at the just concluded 12th Summer Para-lympic Games in Athens, Greece, were greeted with bouquets of yellow roses by Sports Minister Portia Simpson Miller at the Norman Manley International Airport yesterday.
Both athletes, along with team-
mates Sylvia Grant and Vinette Green, coaches Errol Williams and Neville Sinclair and head of delegation Suzanne Harris, arrived yesterday after a successful performance.
Cunningham won Jamaica's first gold medal in 16 years with a world record throw of 25.18 metres in class F53 discus and Campbell won a bronze in class F56 of the same event.
Cunningham conceded that the competition was demanding as he was "the only small guy" and that the pressure is on him to defend his record.
"That's a whole lot of pressure. I had to go out there and work even harder, especially on my other event (javelin)," he said.
President of the Jamaica Paraplegic Association, General Robert Neish,
and Senator Floyd Morrison, who is visually impaired, were with the Minister to welcome home the athletes.
"Alphanso not only won the gold medal but has the world and Olympic record and that's just amazing," gushed Simpson Miller.
CHALLENGED
"It says a lot about our sportsmen and women but most importantly of the Paralympic team. They are challenged and the fact that they are in wheelchairs and can perform to the best of their ability and achieve their full potential is saying to us we can do anything," she said.
The last time the Jamaican anthem was played at a Paralympic medal ceremony was in 1988 when Minette Wilson won gold in discus at the South Korea Paralympics.
Coach Errol Williams said he had to fight back the tears when he saw Cunningham collecting his medal while the national anthem was being played.
"Alphanso had to break the record twice because there was a guy who was giving him a really hard time so he had to break it twice to obtain the medal. Hearing the anthem play again after 16 years in Paralympics is a special feeling ... I had to hold back the tears," Williams said.
"I was really satisfied with the performance. I was expecting four medals but the competition was very tough," he added.
