London 2012 Paralympics: Channel 4 tells of shark attack and rail accident in ‘superhuman’ stories

 
Achmat Hassiem of South Africa competes in the Men's 100m Butterfly - S10 Heat 2 during day two of the 2008 Paralympic Games at the National Aquatics Centre on September 8, 2008 in Beijing, China.
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Ross Lydall @RossLydall17 August 2012

One is a swimmer who had a foot bitten off by a shark as he saved his brother. Another became a javelin thrower after losing both legs when he fell under a train as a childhood prank went wrong.

South African former lifeguard Achmat Hassiem and Britain’s Nathan Stephens are among the “superhumans” whose stories will be told to millions of TV viewers as they bid for glory in the London Paralympics.

Channel 4, which is screening 500 hours of live coverage of the Games on TV and the internet, has vowed to tell their “back stories” after researchers found that audiences wanted to know more about Paralympians’ personal circumstances.

Stuart Cosgrove, the channel’s director of creative diversity, said: “It feels like increasingly Britain is becoming more at ease with disability. It’s more mainstream within our culture.

“We can begin to look at disability in ways that are quite candid and not treating it as though it’s something to do with pity or feeling sorry for someone.

“When you look at these characters, the ‘superhumans’ piece is about saying what is extraordinary about them and looking at their achievements as elite athletes.

“I’ve been looking at the personal bests of some of these athletes and [British sprinter] Jonnie Peacock would have won the Olympics eight years ago.”

Channel 4 will broadcast 150 hours of coverage on terrestrial TV, including a three-hour show each evening presented by Clare Balding and former basketball Paralympian Ade Adepitan.

Jon Snow will present the opening and closing ceremonies live.

Comedian Jimmy Carr, who notoriously joked about injured soldiers boosting Britain’s medal hopes while visiting Headley Court military rehabilitation centre will also appear.

One highlight will come on September 6 when “blade runner” Oscar Pistorius races in the 100 metres against Peacock, who recently set a world record time, and the US’s reigning world champion Jerome Singleton, who last year became the first sprinter in seven years to beat Pistorius.

Mr Cosgrove said he was “quietly optimistic” the Paralympics would deliver a ratings boost to the channel, which will have 450 contracted staff covering the Games.

He said: “We will be looking to try to benefit from the glorious summer of success the Olympics has had and the buzz around Team GB. We will be happy with an uplift in our audiences.”

He said the channel had been “pretty brave” to devote so much time to the Paralympics — a move agreed before Team GB’s success sparked a surge in interest.

“Channel 4’s bid would not have happened if it had not been in London,” he said. “That gave it the promise of added visibility and of getting the warm glow from the Olympics.”

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