Leclerc wins bronze medal at BT Paralympic World Cup with team GB
Published: 03 June 2010
by NICK CLOWES
STRIKER Graham Leclerc insists the Great Britain Cerebral Palsy team were beaten but not broken after winning bronze at the BT Paralympic World Cup.
Unbeaten throughout 2009, the 35-year-old’s team had high hopes of taking gold at the Manchester Regional Arena.
But two defeats in the group stages saw them miss out on a place in the final, although they did salvage some pride with an 8-4 victory in the bronze medal play-off against the USA.
Leclerc, who works at the Talacre Community Sports Centre in Kentish Town, insists the squad has a lot to learn after losing their all-conquering status.
“We just need to learn from this week because it has been a real disappointment.
“All we have known up until this point is winning. Losing the unbeaten record is tough but we’ll bounce back from this – I’m sure of that.”
Great Britain kicked off their campaign with a nervy 1-0 victory over the USA but defeats against the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland saw them miss out on a shot at the top prize.
The loss of star player Matt Ellis with a serious achilles injury after the first game hit the Great Britain team hard and Leclerc, who lives in Islington, admits he will be a big loss ahead of the European Championships, which kick-off in Glasgow in August.
“It’s a bit of a wake-up call and when you are missing quality players like Matt then it is always going to be difficult. Now we just have to look forward.
“We’ve got the Europeans coming up and there is no reason why we can’t return home with a medal.”
The BT Paralympic World Cup is the largest multi-sport annual elite disability competition in the world and over 300 athletes competed in Manchester from 25-31 May. The event is supported by Northwest Regional Development Agency and Manchester City Council.
For information visit www.btparalympicworldcup.com