Maclean takes Silver in Beijing

John Maclean has capped off a remarkable sporting career with a Silver medal at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Maclean, who only took up the sport of Adaptive Rowing in 2007, and his rowing partner Kathryn Ross were strong contenders for the gold medal leading into Beijing.

In wet, windy and difficult conditions, the Australian pairing struggled in the opening heat and were convincingly beaten by the Chinese pairing. This result forced Maclean and Ross to go through the repechage competition in order to make the final. A return to form on day two saw them dominate their heat and qualify for the final with the second fastest overall time.

The final was an incredible race with the Australian’s coming from 3 seconds back at the 500m mark to charge home only to be pipped at the line by China by just 0.89 seconds and claim a Paralympic Silver Medal

In what was his last international competition before retirement, Maclean was extremely disappointed with the result initially. “I had come here to win Gold, and I haven’t achieved that. It’s very disappointing” he said immediately after the race.

Maclean has returned to Australia with a new perspective on his achievement and is looking forward to the many challenges ahead including a corporate mentoring career and further development of the John Maclean Foundation.