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Association Australian Paralympic Committee | ||
Competition
The women's Australian team did not have as much experience as other teams in the 1996 Paralympics. European teams had competed against each other in the lead up to the games. This gave them an advantage as they knew their opponents strengths and weaknesses. The Australian women had several injuries during the Paralympics. Sarah Kennedy injured herself in training, which limited her mobility. Australia lost all but one match in 1996. They lost to Spain 0–1, to Sweden 0–4, to Denmark 1–5, to Germany 0–2 and to the USA 0–3. Australia's sole victory came against Korea, where they won 2–0. Australia finished as the last team in the competition based on goals for and against as they had a record of 3–16. The 0–1 loss to Finland was considered impressive by goalball followers because Finland won a silver medal.
Contents
The national team finished tenth at the 1998 International Blind Sports Association World Championships held in Madrid, Spain. The Australian women's national goalball team had a top eight finish at the 2010 IBSA World Championships. The national team had not played in an international competition for two years starting around 2008 until the 2010 Championships.
Training
In 1998 and 1999, the University of Western Sydney's Macarthur Department of Sport Studies was active in helping the team develop and implement a training program. This training was implemented around Geoff Pearce and Oatsy Tremayne's book "Psychological and Physical Training Programs of Goalballers."
2000
Australia represented by: Penny Bennett, Kerrie-ann King, Jo Ruba, Robyn Stephens
Officials - Head Coach - Terry Kenaghan
The women’s team finished eighth.
2004
Australia did not qualify.
2008
Australia did not qualify.
2012
Australia represented by: Jennifer Blow, Meica Christensen (Captain), Tyan Taylor, Nicole Esdaile, Rachel Henderson, Michelle Rzepecki
Officials – Section Manager - Peter Corr (Section Manager); Coach – Georgina Kenaghan ; Physiotherapist – Eliza Kwan
The team went into the Games ranked eighth in the world and was the first Australian goalball team to qualify for the Paralympic sport since Atlanta in 1996. It competed in Group B against China, United States, Sweden, Japan and Canada. The Australian men's team did not qualify after losing the Africa Oceania Goalball Regional Championships 5–4 against Algeria.
Results
2016
Australia represented by:Jennifer Blow, Nicole Esdaile, Meica Horsburgh, Raissa Martin (d), Michelle Rzepecki, Tyan Taylor
Officials - Coach - Peter Corr ; Team Leader - Robert Vogt
Australian women's team originally failed to qualify after finishing third at the IBSA Goalball Asia Pacific Championships in Hangzhou, China.[15] Australian men's team failed to qualify after finishing fifth at the IBSA Goalball Asia Pacific Championships in Hangzhou, China.[16] Following the re-allocation of Russia's spot, Australia's women found themselves getting a last minute invite to Rio. Australia's women enter the tournament ranked ninth in the world.[17]
World championships
The 1986 World Championships were held in Roermond, the Netherlands. The team was one of ten teams participating, and they finished eighth overall. The 1998 World Championships were held in Madrid, Spain. The team was one of eleven teams participating, and they finished tenth overall.
The team has also competed at the 2006 World Championships in Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States, 2010 Sheffield, England, and in 2014 at Espoo, Finland.
Competitive history
The table below contains individual game results for the team in international matches and competitions.