Big Finish for Belarus at Wheelchair Dance Championships

With more than 150 dancers from 21 countries from 6-7 November, couples from Belarus were stars on the dance floor winning multiple medals as the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Wheelchair Dance Sport World Championships came to a close yesterday in Hannover, Germany.

In the Combi Standard event, Belarusians Veranika Makhortava and Aliaksei Zukhtsikau took the gold while Iryna Mazharava and Kanstantsin Sheida took the silver. Slovakian couple Helena Kasicka and Peter Vidasic brought home the bronze medal.

Belarusians Hanna Harchakova and Ihar Kisialiou took the gold in the Combi Latin event, with Poland’s Piotr Iwanicki and Nadine Kinczel and Russia’s Maxim Sedakov and Svetlana Kukushkina coming in second and third respectively.

For the Duo Latin event, Ukraine’s Ivan Sivak and Nadiia Sivak took the gold medal. Russia’s Konstantin Susunov and Elena Shilyaeva, and Sergey Antonov and Alexandra Berdnik took the silver and bronze respectively.

On the first day, dancers from Russia, Poland and Ukraine brought on exceptional dance performances which gave them top position and a medal to bring home. One of the couples was Olena Iaremenko and Valeriy Bevzyuk from Ukraine who took first place in the Combi Latin (Class 1). A highly celebrated win came from Mexican couple Ernesto Eduardo Nunez Medellin and Maria Antonia Pena Anguiano, who took the gold medal in the Duo Latin (Class 1).

In attendance at the World Championships was IPC President Sir Philip Craven, who said the dancers were thrilling to watch.

Sir Philip said: “With the packed audience here in Hannover, the spirit and energy on the dance floor is high for everyone involved. Wheelchair Dance Sport is rapidly growing, as is the number of fans around the world, and I look forward to seeing the progression of the dancers into the next big Championships.”

A total of eight gold medals were up for grabs this weekend in Hannover in two styles – Duo and Combi. Duo style sees both dancers use wheelchairs, whilst Combi sees one dancer use a wheelchair and the partner is able-bodied and stood.

For more information about this weekend’s IPC Wheelchair Dance World Championships, please www.rollstuhltanz-wm2010.de.

To learn more about the sport in general please visit www.ipc-wheelchairdancesport.org.