Wed, 17 Oct 2012
Sponsorship from No5 Chambers helped a West Midlands’ athlete secure a medal in the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Wheelchair Tennis player Jordanne Whiley returned home to Halesowen recently, proudly carrying the women’s doubles bronze medal that she and fellow Brit Lucy Shuker won in the women’s doubles at the London 2012 Paralympic Games to become the first women to medal for ParalympicsGB in Wheelchair Tennis.
Whiley, one of 10 wheelchair tennis players from the Tennis Foundation’s Wheelchair Tennis Performances Programme selected to represent ParalympicsGB at London 2012, returned to a big welcome from her family and friends.
“I’ve had such amazing support over the years from my family, friends and local community and I’m very grateful to everyone who’s worked with me and backed me and I’m over the moon to bring home my first Paralympic medal,” said Birmingham-born Whiley.
“Obviously my tennis wheelchair is the most important piece of equipment that allows me to play my best game and I’m so grateful to No. 5 Chambers for buying the chair that helped me gain my qualification for London 2012.”
Whiley and Shuker battled back from a set down to win their bronze medal play-off last Friday and claim ParalympicsGB's second medal in Wheelchair Tennis at the London 2012 Games.
The British pairing lost the first set on a tiebreak 7-6 (8) against Thailand's Sakhorn Khanthasit and Ratana Techamaneewat, the 2004 silver medallists, but after saving a string of match points and winning a tiebreak of their own in the second set 7-2, they took the deciding set 6-3 to claim the final place on the podium.
The British duo were in superb form at Eton Manor, beating Germany's Sabine Ellerbrock and Katharina Kruger in the quarter-finals, but coming up short against Dutch No.2 seeds Jiske Griffioen and Aniek van Koot in the semi-finals. However, Whiley and Shuker refused to give up and, roared on by a passionate crowd in the Olympic Park venue, they claimed the nail-biting victory.
"I was so scared when we were facing those match points, especially after bowing out to one of them in the singles,” says Jordanne. “It was my toughest time on court and we were out there so long. "The Thai pair are so solid and just keep getting the ball back. I wanted a medal at London 2012 so much and now I've got one! I hope our success will inspire other girls to give tennis a go, whatever their background or ability."
Tony McDaid, No5 Chambers Practice Director, says: “We first met Jordanne Whiley in 2010 at a Cerebral Palsy seminar that we sponsored in Bristol, not far from our offices in Queen Square. What struck us most about Jordanne was her outgoing, cheerful disposition. She lifted everyone around her at the seminar with her positive attitude and it was clear to us that she was an exceptional individual.
“Jordanne approached us about the possibility of sponsoring a new wheelchair to help her compete on an international stage and achieve her world-beating ambitions. She is a great athlete with an enormous talent and she needed a new chair tailored to her specifications to enable her to continue getting the best out of her game as she competes against the world’s best, so we agreed to sponsor her wheelchair.
“Our delight with her medal-winning performance was almost as great as Jordanne’s. All her hard work and gruelling training regime paid off and she did herself, her fellow 2012 ParalympicsGB team members and family and friends proud. I am very pleased that we at No5 Chambers were able to contribute to her success. Roll on Rio 2016.”
