Going for Gold - again
Leamington Paralympian Nigel Murray, now 42, a world-class Boccia player, who won gold at the Sydney Paralympics in 2000 has now got his sights set on Beijing in 2008.
In January he spent 10 days in Hong Kong with the British Paralympic squad and hopes to go again in August, as part of the Boccia team’s pre-Games preparations. The Brits are currently ranked number three in the world so Nigel is confident they will qualify. He is modest about his own selection chances, but they must be good.
Nigel will be jetting off to Canada in May to compete in the Boccia World Cup in Vancouver. Closer to home, he trains at St Nicholas Park Sports Centre in Warwick two or three times a week. A permanent Boccia court was marked out for him there several years ago. About twice a month he trains with British team-mates in Sheffield.
All this and he has a full-time job, too, with Warwickshire County Council. Nigel is Deputy Manager of Stratford Day Services, which provides services to adults with learning and physical disabilities.
Boccia is a sport played by wheelchair athletes who have a physical disability. It is a cross between bowls and the French game of boules, the object being to get your boccia balls as close to the jack as possible whilst preventing your opponents from doing so.
Nigel has a long list of career highlights that include being national (English) champion seven times and British champion five times. He captained the team that took European silver in 2005 and led the British squad to a world bronze medal at the Boccia Championships in Rio de Janeiro last October (2006). He won NPower Midlands Disabled Sportsman of the Year 2006 and picked up the title of Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire Disabled Sportsman 2006.
“I am very proud of my achievements,” said Nigel. “I know the Paralympics don’t get the same coverage as the Olympics but I am pleased to say it is increasing. Disabled sport has a higher profile nowadays, which is great. It lets people know what disabled sports they can enjoy and what can be achieved.”