First Try-Out Day held for Para-Athletics at UCD
As the start of an exciting partnership between the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science and Paralympics Ireland, the first of two Para-Athletics Academy try-out days was held recently at UCD.
The day involved athlete testing and event specific components led by UCD Ad-Astra Academy and Paralympics Ireland performance staff. A second try-out day will take place in April.
The athletes then have the summer competition season to achieve the evidenced-based performance targets to be invited into the newly formed Para-Athletics Academy, enabled with the support of a Sport Ireland research grant, which will begin in Autumn 2024.
A collaboration between Paralympics Ireland’s Dr Alison O’Riordan and Professor Kate Pumpa from UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, the research will focus on the development of talent identification profiling and monitoring protocols in para-athletics. It will also showcase how NGBs and third level institutions can work together to enhance and improve athlete performance.
Congratulations to all the athletes who took part.