Nil Riudavets wins Paralympic Bronze Medal
Menorcan triathlete Nil Riudavets Victory has had a busy few weeks after returning a hero from the Paralympics in Paris with a bronze medal. He came from behind in an agonising final sprint in the last 200 metres of the race.
The triathlon consisted of an initial segment of 750 metres of swimming in the Seine, 20 km of cycling and five km of running. Nil left the water in eighth position, 1’45” behind Frenchman Alexis Hanquinquant, who dominated the race until the end. Nil managed to gain two positions in the bicycle segment, when he was 49 seconds behind the third-placed Frenchman Pierre-Antoine Baele. But Riudavets was confident in his running and gradually closed in and overtook Baele. The American Carson Clough took the silver.
Riudavets said he knew he still had a chance for a medal despite leaving the bike 49 seconds behind Baele. He told reporters, “Mentally, I had to be very focused to do my race and see how far I could go. I was passing people. First I passed the British, then the first Frenchman and then the last Frenchman. I was slowly making up ground and we played it out in the last 200 metres in an agonising sprint”. He said it was an incredible experience and his partner, family and friends were there to cheer him on during the race.
Nil Riudavets’ life changed when he lost the use of his right arm after a head-on collision while riding at high speed in a triathlon five years ago. He was 23 years old and had been doing triathlons since he was a boy. He went through a difficult period trying to adapt to his new situation forgetting about sport, and especially the triathlon, which could have killed him. After three years he felt ready to run the marathon in the Paralympic Games but when they withdrew his category he overcame his fears and decided to go back to the triathlon. He took first place in the Paralympic Triathlon World Cup in A Coruña in 2022 and last year he was European runner-up in Madrid and took first place in the World Cups in Alhandra (Portugal) and Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates).
Riudavets is part of the CaixaBank Paralympic Promises Triathlon Team, a project of the Spanish Paralympic Committee (CPE) and the Spanish Triathlon Federation (FETRI) that aims to prepare the most promising athletes for the highest level.
Sporting de Mahón excitement
CF Sporting de Mahón, the mens football team, won a coveted place in the qualifying round of the Copa del Rey. They were proclaimed champions of the Copa Illes Balears after defeating CF La Unión on 9 September. The match, played in Mallorca, was extremely evenly matched. Despite the efforts of both sides, there were no goals, both after 90 minutes, and 30 minutes of extra time, so the title was decided from the penalty spot. The Mahón team, won the shoot-out 5-3, unleashing euphoria among the team.
Sporting de Mahón will face Unió Esportiva Vic from Catalonia, from the recently created Lliga Èlit, in a single match at the Estadi Hipòlit Planàs in Catalonia on 9 October. Whoever comes out on top will face a team from the First Division, in the first round of the 2024-25 Copa del Rey.
Combat 2 Coffee for Army Veterans 24 Hour Padelathon
12 participants, including residents of Son Parc and Es Castell, took part in a sponsored 24 hour padel tennis marathon organised by Adrian Deamer, an army veteran living in Menorca. They all played 2 hours on 4 hours off for 24 hrs, and the Go Fund Me Page is still open if you would like to donate. They are on target to raise €2.5k but would love to get to 3k.
The Combat 2 Coffee charity was inspired by Nigel Seaman who began suffering from depression, anxiety and flashbacks from an incident during his time on operations with the armed forces. He was formally diagnosed as suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and was accepted onto a 6-week trauma related residential course. He took his coffee machine with him and noticed what a draw this was to other veterans and serving personnel. He realised that people felt comfortable to talk about difficult things and enjoy community over a cup of coffee.
The Combat2Coffee project was set up in 2018 and the dedicated team provides outreach to veterans and their families through mobile coffee vans that travel far and wide. There is also a dedicated outreach worker and cafes in Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich.
Participants in the padelathon: Mark Bannister, Paul Clark, Sam Clark, Andrew Denning, Lee Edwards, Paul Holden, Dean Horsley, Stephen Long, Neil Penn, Ken Piercy, Les Smallwood and Simon Tarrel
https://www.combat2coffee.co.uk/ Changing lives one sip at a time
