Danielle Aitchison and William Stedman. Photo: Getty Images / AFP
A cerebral palsy researcher is celebrating the success of New Zealand athletes at the Paris Paralympics with the condition.
On Wednesday morning William Stedman won silver in the men's 400m final, and earlier this week Danielle Aitchison claimed a silver in the women's 200m.
"This is an amazing success," Cerebral Palsy Society researcher and support advisor Amy Hogan told RNZ's Midday Report.
"All the five medals that have been won so far, just over the halfway point, two of them have cerebral palsy, competing in different aspects of running, which is amazing.
"New Zealand has had a long history of cerebral palsy at the Paralympics, and we're very proud to be celebrating these two."
New Zealand's other medal winners at these Paralympics so far were Anna Grimaldi (bronze in the women's 100m T47), Nicole Murray (bronze, cycling - women's pursuit C5) and Anna Taylor (silver, cycling - women's pursuit C4).
Stedman's medal came less than 24 hours after he narrowly missed out on a podium placement in the T36 long jump. He said his cerebral palsy affected his coordination and he almost tripped a couple of times in the last 50m.
Hogan said it was inspiring for others with disabilities to see "their condition reflected in these amazing athletes that have worked so hard to achieve their dreams".
"It's very hard to dream it if you can't see it reflected on the stage. As William himself says, he was inspired by seeing Paralympians years ago, and that set him on the path.
"So for so many young people with [cerebral palsy] and other disabilities, disability is reflected as a negative thing or within a medical context. It's so wonderful to see it celebrated in sporting achievement."
She said with more races to come for Stedman and Aitchison, supporters were waiting with "bated breath".
"Danielle and William still have races coming up, so we're going to be watching with bated breath."
According to the Cerebral Palsy Society website, the condition is an "umbrella term that refers to a group of disorders affecting a person's ability to move. It is a permanent life-long condition but generally does not worsen over time.
"It is due to damage to the developing brain either during pregnancy or shortly after."
A full schedule of when Kiwi Paralympians were competing was available on the NZ Paralympic Team's website.
