Mike Ballard deemed it “white-knuckle paddling” after surviving treacherous conditions at the start of the ICF Paracanoe World Cup in Poland.
Strong winds and choppy water made for a tough heat for the Abu Dhabi-based kayaker, as he competed in the KL2 Men’s 200m at the event in Poznan.
So difficult was it that the start of the race itself had to be delayed as Ballard struggling to position the nose of his boat into the starting bucket because of the swell.
“It was the danger zone given my injury because I don’t have so much hip control,” said Ballard, who is paralysed from the waist down because of a spinal cord injury.
“The wind and the water were pushing so hard I was having trouble getting my boat into the starting gate. It was very difficult conditions.
“The only objective was to get down the course. As long as you make the finish line, with the way the brackets worked, you make the semi-final.
“I made it through and was happy to be down the course.”
Racing was suspended for two hours shortly after Ballard’s race, after another para-athlete capsized due to the weather.
His semi-final was postponed until early Friday morning. Given the weather, Ballard said his sole focus was finishing safely, rather than on his finishing position or what time he clocked.
“It was white-knuckle paddling,” Ballard, who is representing the United States at the World Cup, said.
“I needed to get down the course to get to the semi-final. The top three go straight to the final, so that is what you are racing for.
“Given the conditions, the objective was not to race. The objective was to stay in the boat.
“The water was rushing forward, making it difficult to even get into the starting gate. It was an experience I was not prepared for.
“Still, we accomplished what we needed to: to get down the course and get into the semi-final.”
Ballard will race for a place in the final on Friday morning. The weather forecast suggests there will be similarly strong winds.
Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
More coverage from the Future Forum
The five pillars of Islam
WHAT ARE NFTs?
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are tokens that represent ownership of unique items. They allow the tokenisation of things such as art, collectibles and even real estate.
An NFT can have only one official owner at one time. And since they're minted and secured on the Ethereum blockchain, no one can modify the record of ownership, not even copy-paste it into a new one.
This means NFTs are not interchangeable and cannot be exchanged with other items. In contrast, fungible items, such as fiat currencies, can be exchanged because their value defines them rather than their unique properties.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
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