This is a thread dedicated to one of South Africa's most prolific and overlooked sportsmen. He truely deserves our respect and praise.

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Terence Parkin: Deaflympics giant
Brad Morgan

22 October 2009

Lost among the world and South Africans records set at the recent Fina/Arena Swimming World Cup in Durban was a strong performance by deaf swimmer Terence Parkin in the men's 200 metres breaststroke.

Back in 2000, he made himself known to the world by winning silver in the same event at the Sydney Olympic Games.

Now 29, he made his return to competitive swimming a good one, clocking two minutes, 8.64 seconds, which, as was pointed out by the coach of the 2000 Olympic Games team, Wayne Riddin, was comparable to the times Parkin was swimming back then.

World Championship medals
Parkin has been an exceptional performer for many years now. Back in 2000, at the Short Course World Championships in Athens, he won silver in both the 200 metres breaststroke and the 400 metres individual medley.

Much like Michael Phelps has become a giant of the Olympics Games, culminating in his record-setting eight gold medals at the Beijing Games in 2008, so too has Parkin become a giant in the world of the deaf at the Deaflympics.

In 2001, at the Rome Deaflympics, Parkin claimed five titles – the 100 and 200 metres freestyle, the 100 and 200 metres breaststroke, and the 400 metres individual medley. That, however was merely a precursor to one of the most astounding collection of results imaginable at the next Deaflympics in 2005 in Melbourne.

Incredible success
In that year he became the most successful competitor in the history of the Games by winning an incredible 12 gold medals and one silver.

In the freestyle, he won the 100 and 400 metres in Games' record times and captured the 200 and 1 500 metres with world records.

He won the 50 metres breaststroke in a world time and also claimed the 100 and 200 metres titles.

To this he added the 200 metres butterfly, with another world record, as well as the 200 and 400 metres individual medley. Parkin was also part of another two world records in the 4 by 100 medley relay and the 2 by 200 freestyle relay.

His only silver came in the 4 by 100 relay.

His success spoke volumes about his fitness, his competitive drive, and his excellence.

Thanks mostly to Parkin, South Africa in third place overall on the medal table, with 19 medals, including 13 gold, four silver and two bronzes.

2009 Deaflympics
In recent times, Parkin's focus has been on cycling, but he was back in the pool for the 2009 Dealympics in Taipei and once again, he was back on the winning trail.

He was unbeaten in the swimming in the seven events he entered, claiming gold in the 50, 100, and 200 metres breaststroke, the 200 and 400 metres individual medley, and the 200 and 1 500 metres freestyle.

On top of this, he proved he was excellent at cycling too by finishing third in the 93-kilometre road race.

Cycling
His cycling success shouldn't have surprised anyone. In 2006, he won gold at the World Deaf Cycling Championships in the road race and picked up silver in the mountain bike event.

With Parkin leading the way, South Africa finished eighth on the medal table with eight golds, two silvers and two bronze medals.

That he managed the success that he did, and that he did it at the age of 29, confirmed Parkin as an exceptional athlete and most successful athlete in the history of the Deaflympics, much like Phelps in the Olympics.

Deaflympic medals haul
Parkin has won 29 medals in four visits to the Deaflympics; prior to the Melbourne Olympic Games, he claimed seven medals at the 1997 Deaflympics in Copenhagen: gold in the 200 metres freestyle, silver in the 100 metres backstroke, bronze in the 200 backstroke, gold in the 100 and 200 breaststroke, and gold in the 200 and 400 individual medley.

That figure of 29 medals is unlikely to be matched by Phelps in his Olympic career.

A loyal supporter of the Midmar Mile and winner of the event in 2000 and 2002, Prakin received a cheque of R20 000 from the organisers of the world's largest open water swimming event who also presented the Deaf Association with a cheque of R20 000.

Through his interpreter, Parkin responded: "Thank you, thank you. Midmar Mile has been very much part of my life and will always be. I will be there next year and who knows what I may be able to do then."

http://www.southafrica.info/news/sport/swimming-parkin-221009.htm

Awesome!!! He is the man!

yip he certainly is an insparation to all

Achievements of SA sports people outside of Rugby, Cricket, Golf and Soccer often go almost unnoticed...like Giniel De Villiers winning the DAKAR rally! I mean, that is huge, as big as winning the tour de France...much more should have been made of it.

And our swimmers perform every year in the grand prix events, often taking out top spot, and it hardly gets a nod.

We are actually cooking all round in sport at the moment - maybe once the media realize that we are actually going to host an awesome world cup, and they start running out of crap to report on, they will take notice...

By the way Why we never getting warm welcome for Terence return from Deaflympic last month? Are Media busy focusing on Caster issue than Terence achieve the gold?

Ask Julius :)

According to the ANC Youth League, they were not at the airport to welcome Terrence because he was not 'abused'. :ohno:

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No hero's welcome for 7-gold medalist

October 05 2009 at 01:06PM

By Siphamandla Mbewa

The ANC Youth League says it did not greet swimmer Terence Parkin at the airport last month after his recent gold medal haul at the Deaflympics in Taiwan because the media did not report on the swimmer's success.

Spokesman Floyd Shivambu also said that unlike 800m world champion Caster Semenya's return to South Africa from Berlin, Parkin's triumphant arrival lacked controversy.

Durban's Parkin, 29, has been dubbed the "Silent Torpedo" by the international media after he won seven gold medals, broke two world records and five Deaflympics records at Taipei in Taiwan.

Shivambu said the Semenya situation could not be compared to Parkin's arrival because nobody knew that he had gone to the Deaflympics.

"If Semenya had not been abused by the sport bodies that did (abuse her), then we would probably not even have set foot at the airport," said Shivambu.

"The same goes for Parkin - if he had been abused by sporting bodies like Semenya (was), then we would have been at the airport to give him support."

Swimming South Africa said they had not greeted the athlete because the SA Sport Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) was mandated to look after Parkin.

Sascoc president Gideon Sam said a letter of congratulations had been sent to the swimming federation after Parkin's achievements at the Deaflympics.

"We don't work with individuals, we work with the federation," he said today.

The IFP congratulated Parkin, but said they had also been unaware of his achievements.

"We, as the IFP, did not know that one of our athletes had attended such an important event.

"Perhaps the various sporting bodies, government sporting officials and the media should do more next time in letting people know about the Deaflympics," said Zanele Magwaza-Msibi, chairwoman of the party

"We are proud of Parkin. He has done a great job," she said.

Parkin officially retired from the sport three years ago, but after deciding to come out of retirement, he was invited to compete at the Deaflympics.

He had four months to train for the event, where only people with a hearing disability are allowed to compete.

According to his wife, Ingrid, he was met by a demoralising silence at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport where only his family waited.

"After achieving so much for his country, he expected the nation to welcome him back with great delight," she said.

"He returned home, the most recognised and celebrated deaf sportman in the world, to the devastating silence of his own country.

"Terence has represented South African sports for 14 years in both cycling and swimming.

"He has won 29 medals in four Deaflympics, which is more than any other athlete in history of the Games since its inception in 1929," Ingrid said.

Parkin received a R20 000 cheque from the Midmar Mile organisers, while Deafsa was also given the same amount.


This article was originally published on page 3 of Daily News on October 05, 2009


http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=4&art_id=vn20091005103711817C374423

WTF he makes 2 good comments in the media over the weekend now he go's back to square one....