An Abu Dhabi athlete left paralysed from the waist down after a horror rugby accident is edging closer to living his Paralympic dream.
Mike Ballard, 35, has received official notification he has been identified as a possible competitor in the sport of kayaking at this year’s Paralympic Games, which are due to take place in Tokyo during the summer.
He has now been invited to register his application for selection for the Team USA 2020 Paralympic Games delegation.
It marks the latest milestone for the Michigan native who continues to show his determination not to let the injury he suffered define him.
Mr Ballard’s life changed when he was seriously hurt playing for Abu Dhabi Harlequins in Zayed Sports City in 2014.
But rather than admit defeat, he is determined to make the most of every opportunity that comes his way - including converting to a new sport.
“The reality is I have a significant spinal cord injury which is probably never going to change unless there are huge scientific advances and I am going to remain in a chair,” he said.
"I'm in a good place both mentally and physically"
“I am fully embracing that and getting on with my life.
“This is not a Disney happy ending and I am realistic about where I am at but the truth is I’m in a good place both mentally and physically.”
The injury occurred when he found himself at the bottom of a pile-up of players after he had made a tackle in a game against Jebel Ali Dragons.
It was during that moment he had felt his back break.
He has since rebuilt his life to the extent that he now regards himself as the “top guy in my division in the US”.
Mr Ballard is no stranger to the water, having grown up with the sport recreationally from a young age in America.
Since last speaking to The National last year, Mr Ballard has embarked on a gruelling journey to ensure he stayed in contention for the Paralympics.
That involved an appearance at the World Cup in Poland last year where he finished in 13th place.
His rigorous regime saw him having to rise at 4.30am each morning so he could start training at 5am.
However, he has recently fine-tuned his approach to ensure he had every chance of achieving his goal.
“I was doing a full session in the gym every morning at 5am before the sun would even come up.
“It was not sustainable and now there is a focus on technique and spending more time on the water instead of going the meathead route.”
Mr Ballard aims to use April’s forthcoming US trials to help bolster his chances of being selected for his home country at the Paralympics.
However, he said the global outbreak of coronavirus had caused uncertainty on whether April’s event would go ahead as scheduled.
Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the Tokyo Olympic Games - held in advance of the Paralympics in the same city - would go ahead as planned in July, despite the spread of coronavirus causing many sporting events to be postponed.
The special needs teacher is not limiting his plans to the Tokyo games as he said his main target was the 2024 Paralympics due to take place in Paris.
“Qualifying for Tokyo in 2020 would be great but Paris 2024 is the real target,” he said.
“I know I might seem a little long in the tooth by then because I will be 39 but I was only injured when I was 29.
“They say shoulders have about a decade of competitive paddling and mine had zero wear and tear before then.”
He said his aim was to qualify for the Paralympics but he was not going there to win medals or break any world records, for him the glory would come from showing he could compete at that level.
“For me this is an underdog story,” he said.
“I’m not going there expecting to beat the best in the world, I’m going there because I want to show myself I belong at that level.
“I see it as racing against myself and proving a point to myself.”
Mr Ballard also said being based in Abu Dhabi was a huge advantage in his attempts to reach the Paralympics, despite being thousands of miles away from the country he hoped to represent.
“Being in the UAE is absolutely to my advantage because I can get to the water at the drop of a hat,” he said.
“I always need someone’s help to get in and out of the water but living in a community like Al Zeina means there is always somebody about to help me out.
‘I’m in the best possible spot.”
It was not just on the water that Mr Ballard was making waves as he continues to use the foundation, initially set up to support his rehabilitation, to have a positive impact on the lives of others through the sport of rugby union.
The Mike Ballard Foundation has since helped people across the world, particularly in Madagascar where the organisation donated vital equipment to a rehabilitation centre and provided educational equipment to local schools as well as organising coaching sessions with children living in underprivileged communities.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Health Valley
Founded in 2002 and set up as a foundation in 2006, Health Valley has been an innovation in healthcare for more than 10 years in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
It serves as a place where companies, businesses, universities, healthcare providers and government agencies can collaborate, offering a platform where they can connect and work together on healthcare innovation.
Its partners work on technological innovation, new forms of diagnostics and other methods to make a difference in healthcare.
Its agency consists of eight people, four innovation managers and office managers, two communication advisers and one director. It gives innovation support to businesses and other parties in its network like a broker, connecting people with the right organisation to help them further
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
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Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.