DAVID Hill and Claire Cashmore of Kelly College, Tavistock took part in the inaugural Visa Paralympic World Cup last weekend in Manchester. The event will be the biggest annual multi-sport competition outside of the Paralympic Games and will be staged by Manchester for at least its first three years. This year it included four sports, athletics, swimming, track cycling and wheelchair basketball. There were over 340 athletes from 46 countries taking part over the four days of the competition. David and Claire both S9 swimmers and the youngest male and female British Paralympic athlete in Athens last year were invited to take part in the S9 100m Backstroke by the organisers of the World Cup together with 12 other British swimmers. David won his heat in the morning in a time of 1.09.88 taking him into the afternoon final. Unfortunately with only 8 swimmers in Claire?s heat they all went straight through to the afternoon?s final. Claire however did race in the morning heats in 50m and 100m Freestyle Multi-disability events but was unable to make the final. David also was unable to make the final in the S9 200m IM. In the final of 100m Backstroke Claire was hoping to emulate her success in Athens where she won a bronze medal but she finished 4th in a time of 1.18.13. David?s 100m Backstroke final was a near repeat of the Athens Paralympic Games where he finished 8th. David started well hitting his target for the race at the 50m mark but was unable to challenge the leaders in the last 50m finishing in 6th place in a time of 1.10.17. The races and an interview by David will hopefully be part of the Paralympic World Cup programme which the BBC is showing on BBC2?s Sunday Grandstand May 22 at 15.00-16.30.