2014 IPC Athletics European Championships
# 2014 IPC Athletics European Championships

The 2014 IPC Athletics European Championships was a track and field competition for athletes with a disability open to International Paralympic Committee (IPC) affiliated countries within Europe, plus Azerbaijan and Israel. It was held in Swansea, Wales and lasted from 18 to 23 August. The competition was staged at Swansea University Stadium. Approximately 550 athletes from 37 countries attended the games.

Russia won the Games atop the medal table with 41 Gold medals, and also collected the greatest overall medal haul with 88. The host nation, Britain, finished third. Of the 37 competing nations, 34 managed to achieve a podium finish. There were seven world records set and a further seven European records, in a games that was beset by difficult weather conditions throughout the tournament.

## Venue

The venue for the Championships was the Swansea University athletics stadium.

## Format

The 2014 IPC Athletics European Championships is an invitational tournament taking in track and field events. No combined sports were included in the 2014 Championships. Not all events were open to all classifications, though no events were contested between classifications.

Athletes finishing in first place are awarded the gold medal, second place the silver medal and third place the bronze. If only three competitors are available to challenge for an event then no bronze medal is awarded. Some events will be classed as 'no medal' events.

## Coverage

As with the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships, the IPC produced live streaming footage of the Championships on ParalympicSport.TV. In the United Kingdom Channel 4 continued their commitment to para-sport with their own live streaming website and daily live coverage shown on their sister channel More4.

## Events

### Opening ceremony

The Championship opening ceremony took place at the Swansea University Stadium on the night of 18 August the day before the first events were held. The competition was officially opened by Welsh Assembly Minister John Griffiths followed by an address by the IPC president Sir Philip Craven.

The IPC flag carried into the stadium by schoolgirl Molly Hopkins, the youngest Swansea 2014 ambassador, Paralympian champion John Harris, swimmer Jack Thomas and games volunteer Harmony Dumay; before it was raised to signal the opening of the games. The swearing of the oaths were undertaken by Welsh athlete Josie Pearson, her coach Anthony Hughes, and on behalf of the officials by Matt Witt.

Entertainment was provided at the venue by singers Shaheen Jafargholi and John Adams; and the Morriston Orpheus Choir.

### Classification

To ensure competition is as fair and balanced as possible, athletes are classified dependent on how their disability impacts on their chosen event/s. Thus athletes may compete in an event against competitors with a different disability to themselves. Where there are more than one classification in one event, (for example discus throw F54/55/56), a points system is used to determine the winner.

* F = field athletes
* T = track athletes
* 11-13 – visually impaired, 11 and 12 compete with a sighted guide
* 20 – intellectual disability
* 31-38 – cerebral palsy or other conditions that affect muscle co-ordination and control. Athletes in class 31-34 compete in a seated position; athletes in class 35-38 compete standing.
* 41-46 – amputation, les autres
* 51-58 – wheelchair athletes

### Schedule

| ● | Opening ceremony | Events | ● | Closing ceremony |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Date → | Date → | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 100 m | Men Details | | T12 T42 T44 T35 T36 T37 T38 T34 T54 | T33 T53 T51 T13 T11 | T47 | | |
| 100 m | Women Details | | T42 T44 T37 T34 T51 T53 | T13 T54 T47 T38 T35 T12 T11 | T36 | T33 T52 | |
| 200 m | Men Details | | | T47 T44 | T11 T12 T13 T35 T36 T37 T38 T42 T34 T53 | T54 | |
| 200 m | Women Details | | T36 | | T12 T35 T44 | T11 | |
| 400 m | Men Details | | T51 | T44 T36 T54 T52 T12 | | T53 T37 T38 T47 T13 T20 | T11 T34 |
| 400 m | Women Details | | T13 T53 T47 T54 | T20 T52 | | T44 T37 T38 T12 | T11 |
| 800 m | Men Details | | T53 | T38 T34 T36 | T54 | | |
| 800 m | Women Details | | | | T53 T54 | T34 | |
| 1500 m | Men Details | | T52 | T54 | | T20 | T38 T46 T11 |
| 1500 m | Women Details | | | T11 | | T13 | T46 T13 T20 T54 |
| 5000 m | Men Details | | | T13 | | T11 | T54 |
| 5000 m | Women Details | | | T54 | | | |
| 4 × 100 m relay | Men Details | | | | | | T11-13 |
| 4 × 100 m relay | Women Details | | | | | | T35-38 |
| Long jump | Men Details | | T11 | T47 T12 T37 | T20 | T36 T13 | T38 T44 T42 |
| Long jump | Women Details | | T38 T11 | T12 | T37 T20 T42 | T47 T44 | |
| High jump | Men Details | | T12 | T42 | T47 | T44 | |
| Triple jump | Men Details | | T47 | | | | |
| Shot put | Men Details | | F20 F38 F57 | F44 F32 | F34 F42 F36 F35 | F33 F12 F46 | F55 F40 F37 F53 F41 |
| Shot put | Women Details | | F37 F32 F35 | F20 F40 F55 | F12 | F36 F57 F41 | F33 F53 F34 |
| Discus throw | Men Details | | F12 F34 | F56 F38 | F52 F11 | F44 | F57 F46 F42 |
| Discus throw | Women Details | | F55 F40 F52 F41 | | F57 | F11 F12 F44 | F38 |
| Javelin throw | Men Details | | F46 F42 | F57 F34 F41 | F44 F38 F56 | F40 F54 | F12 |
| Javelin throw | Women Details | | F12 | | F56 F46 F37 | F34 F54 | |
| Club throw | Men Details | | F32 | F51 | | | |
| Club throw | Women Details | | | F51 | | F32 | |
| Ceremonies | Ceremonies | ● | | | | | ● |

## Medal table

The end medal table after day 5, showing all medal winning countries.

* Host nation (Great Britain)

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Russia | 41 | 29 | 18 | 88 |
| 2 | Ukraine | 17 | 8 | 18 | 43 |
| 3 | Great Britain* | 16 | 19 | 17 | 52 |
| 4 | Germany | 14 | 17 | 15 | 46 |
| 5 | Finland | 9 | 3 | 4 | 16 |
| 6 | France | 8 | 8 | 4 | 20 |
| 7 | Switzerland | 8 | 3 | 6 | 17 |
| 8 | Poland | 6 | 15 | 10 | 31 |
| 9 | Spain | 6 | 9 | 10 | 25 |
| 10 | Netherlands | 5 | 4 | 5 | 14 |
| 11 | Italy | 4 | 5 | 2 | 11 |
| 12 | Bulgaria | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| 13 | Turkey | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
| 14 | Ireland | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 15 | Sweden | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 16 | Greece | 2 | 5 | 5 | 12 |
| 17 | Austria | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 18 | Croatia | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| 18 | Czech Republic | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| 20 | Lithuania | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 21 | Belarus | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 22 | Latvia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 23 | Portugal | 1 | 6 | 3 | 10 |
| 24 | Azerbaijan | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 24 | Hungary | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 26 | Slovakia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 27 | Iceland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 28 | Serbia | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| 29 | Denmark | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 30 | Belgium | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 31 | Luxembourg | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 31 | Norway | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 33 | Slovenia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (33 entries) | Totals (33 entries) | 168 | 162 | 146 | 476 |

### Multiple medallists

Many competitors won multiple medals at the 2014 Championships. The following athletes won four medals or more.

| Name | Country | Medal | Event |
| - | - | - | - |
| Margarita Goncharova | Russia | Gold Gold Gold Gold | 100m - T38 400m - T38 Long jump - T38 4 × 100 m relay - T35-38 |
| Henry Manni | Finland | Gold Gold Gold Gold | 100m - T34 200m - T34 400m - T34 800m - T34 |
| Manuela Schär | Switzerland | Gold Gold Gold Gold | 400m - T54 800m - T54 1500m - T54 5000m - T54 |
| Marcel Hug | Switzerland | Gold Gold Gold Bronze | 800m - T54 1500m - T54 5000m - T54 400m - T54 |
| Kenny van Weeghel | Netherlands | Gold Gold Silver Silver | 200m - T54 400m - T54 100m - T54 800m - T54 |
| Marc Schuh | Germany | Silver Bronze Bronze Bronze | 400m - T54 100m - T54 200m - T54 800m - T54 |

## Highlights

### Broken records

Fourteen records were broken including seven world records.

| Event | Round | Name | Nation | Time/Distance | Date | Record |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Men's 400m T37 | Final | Andrei Vdovin | Russia | 50.91 | 22 August | WR |
| Men's 5000m T13 | Final | Alexey Akhtyamov | Russia | 15:07.13 | 20 August | ER |
| Men's High Jump T44 | Final | Maciej Lepiato | Poland | 2.17m | 22 August | WR |
| Men's Discus Throw F44 | Final | Dan Greaves | Great Britain | 62.34m | 22 August | ER |
| Men's Discus Throw F54 | Final | Drazenko Mitrovic | Serbia | 33.68 | 20 August | WR |
| Women's 100m T12 | Semifinal | Oxana Boturchuk | Ukraine | 12.00 | 19 August | ER |
| Women's 400m T38 | Final | Margarita Goncharova | Russia | 1:03.40 | 22 August | WR |
| Women's 400m T44 | Final | Marie-Amelie Le Fur | France | 1:01.41 | 22 August | WR |
| Women's 4 × 100 m Relay T35-38 | Final | Zhanna Fekolina Margarita Goncharova Anna Sapozhnikova Svetlana Sergeeva | Russia | 53.53 | 23 August | WR |
| Women's Long Jump T37 | Final | Anna Sapozhnikova | Russia | 4.46 | 21 August | ER |
| Women's Shot Put F37 | Final | Eva Berna | Czech Republic | 11.01 | 19 August | ER |
| Women's Discus Throw F12 | Final | Sofia Oksem | Russia | 45.97 | 22 August | WR |
| Women's Javelin Throw F53 | Final | Svitlana Stetsyuk | Ukraine | 10.50 | 22 August | ER |
| Women's Club Throw F51 | Final | Joanna Butterfield | Great Britain | 17.68 | 22 August | ER |

## Participating nations

Below is the list of countries who agreed to participate in the Championships and the requested number of athlete places for each.

* Austria 6
* Azerbaijan 5
* Belarus 6
* Belgium 5
* Bulgaria 10
* Croatia 15
* Denmark 7
* Estonia 2
* Finland 11
* France 19
* Germany 32
* Great Britain 52
* Greece 35
* Hungary 7
* Ireland 8
* Iceland 3
* Israel 2
* Italy 13
* Latvia 8
* Lithuania 11
* Luxembourg 1
* Montenegro 1
* Norway 4
* Netherlands 23
* Poland 33
* Portugal 22
* Romania 3
* Russia 74
* Serbia 9
* Slovakia 5
* Slovenia 2
* Spain 31
* Sweden 8
* Switzerland 9
* Czech Republic 12
* Turkey 24
* Ukraine 34
