Dave Thompson MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch has congratulated the mixed cox fours team on their Gold Medal on Sunday afternoon at Eton Dorney. The team is made up of David Smith, James Roe, Naomi Riches and Pam Relph on the oars, with Lily van den Broecke as cox.
The team went into the race as World champions and pipped Germany to the gold after a thrilling head to head sprint finish.
David Smith grew up in Aviemore and has been competing since 2009. Born with both feet facing backwards, he required surgery at an early age but was still able to compete in Karate and Bobsleigh. In 2010 he required major neck surgery which left him paralysed, but he fought back incredibly and has now added the Paralympic Gold to the World Cup Gold he collected in Munich earlier this year.
Marking their fantastic achievement, Dave Thompson has raised a motion in the Scottish Parliament.
Commenting, Dave Thompson said: “I’d like to congratulate the team on securing Gold on Sunday. It was an incredible achievement to win in such dramatic fashion.
It’s always great to see a local lad triumph on the international stage. David has trained fantastically hard since 2010 to recover from major surgery.
I wish David and the team all the very best for their future, and am sure they enjoy celebrating further triumphs at the Paralympics. Their achievements will inspire the next generation of sportsmen and women.
Note:
Full text of Dave Thompson's Motion:
Congratulating David Smith
S4M-03975 Dave Thompson () (Scottish National Party): That Parliament congratulates David Smith, James Roe, Naomi Riches, Pam Relph and Lily van den Broecke on their success in the mixed cox fours on 2 September 2012; understands that David Smith grew up in Aviemore and has been competing for Britain since 2009; acknowledges that he had to undergo major neck surgery in 2010, which left him paralysed, but has trained hard and fought back to win world titles and now Paralympic gold this year; hopes that the team enjoys celebrating its success, and looks forward to celebrating future triumphs.
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