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Two down, one to go Beccara on brink of triple gold medal haul
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Cheri Becerra doesn't have a coach, doesn't believe in fancy gyms or weight training and subscribes to a simple motto: go fast. A relative newcomer to Paralympic competition, Becerra is on the brink of achieving a triple gold medal haul in the 100-200-400 meter track events at Sydney 2000. The native American has already clinched the 100 and 400, setting a world record in the 100 and a games record Tuesday over the one-lap race. Becerra will compete Friday in the heats of the 200 and says her two gold so far have given her extra confidence to achieve the goal she set herself for Sydney -- three gold and three records. An ambitious target, Becerra agrees, but not impossible. "It's bold I know, but I came here with one world record -- the 400 -- and I've already set another one in the 100, so I think I can do it," she said. She was timed in 55.29 seconds for the 400 final, a shade outside her world record of 54.62 but super fast considering the cold, wet and overcast conditions. "It wasn't as fast as I wanted, but it's still a Paralympic record -- you've got to be happy with that," Becerra said. Having started competing just a year before the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics, where she won two silver and three bronze medals, Becerra's rise to No. 1 has been as swift as it has been impressive. An Omaha Indian, she also became the first native American to win an Olympic medal when she claimed a bronze in a demonstration wheelchair event at the Atlanta Games. Competing in the highly competitive Paralympic T54 wheelchair class, against local hero Louise Sauvage and Chantal Petitclerc of Canada, Becerra has been undaunted by her opposition. She only started wheelchair racing in 1995 when a rehabilitation worker in her home town of Nebraska City, Nebraska, showed her a magazine article and encouraged her to get involved. Before that, Becerra had been swimming for fun and fitness but had never competed at sports. "Being in a wheelchair, so many people have the attitude that you can't do anyting," she said. "It's events like the Paralympics that prove we can compete and that we are very capable." Becerra became a paraplegic at the age of four, saying she went to sleep one night and woke the next morning without any feeling in her legs. Doctors attributed it to an unidenified virus. Becerra said it could have been a blessing. "If I could walk, I don't think I'd be competing at an international level -- I doubt it," she said. The 24-year-old Becerra splits her time between training and touring the United States as part of a sponsorship agreement with the Native American Sports Council, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. "I love it, I go to Indian communities and reservations to speak. People think of me as a champion athlete," said Becerra, "They're all very happy for me and they love to listen -- hopefully I can give some of them motivation to compete at this level." A college education is an option, but not her priority at the moment. "I'm just focusing on competing at the moment. I'd like to go, but there's plenty of time to think about college later." Becerra trains by herself, saying she doesn't require a coach and, besides, there is no other wheelchair athletes or coaches who live in her vicinity. She says she doesn't see a need to bulk up with weight training and prefers instead to work out on the speedball for general fitness. Her mom Mary or fiance Eric occasionally help out at practice with the stop watch and Eric rides his bicycle alongside if she's training on the road, but that's more for safety than motivation. Becerra is also slated to contest an expected re-race of the 800 -- her weakest event -- because the result of the final was protested due to a crash Monday at the 200-mark before Petitclerc finished ahead of Sauvage. Sauvage, who lit the cauldron at the opening ceremony, hadn't lost over 800 since winning in Barcelona in 1992. "I may as well race (the 800) again, I've got nothing to lose," Becerra said. "I've beaten Chantal in the past and now Chantal has proven that Louise is not unbeatable, so who knows."
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