Blind champion inspires others (From Witney Gazette)

Blind champion inspires others

2:37pm Tuesday 24th June 2008

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NOT content with being the best blind triathlete in the world, gold medallist Graham Kiff, pictured, has inspired 20 other runners to join him in the London Triathlon to raise money for charity.

The 40-year-old former RAF mechanic, from The Springs, Witney, who is registered blind, has returned home with a gold medal round his neck, after winning the World Championships in Vancouver, Canada, earlier this month.

The father-of-four has a genetic degenerative blindness, which has affected him since 1999, but not deterred his efforts at the triathlon.

His next task is the London Triathlon, where he will be one of 21 other visually-impaired athletes, competing in a team called Project Viper, raising thousand of pounds for a number blind charities.

Last year, Mr Kiff was the only visually impaired runner in the entire triathlon.

The visually impaired athletes will be from all over the country, and taking part alongside 10,000 other able-bodied triathletes - making it the biggest triathlon in the world.

The Project Viper, created to get more visually impaired runners to take part in sporting pursuits, aims to raise £10,000 from the London Triathlon on August 9.

Money will go to St Dunstan's, a hospital which helps blind former servicemen, charities Open Sight and Seeing is Believing, and British Blind Sport, which organises events for children who are partially sighted or blind.

Mr Kiff said: "Project Viper started off as a fundraising idea but now it is much more than that. Now we have people actively taking part and hopefully more will be wanting to have a go.

"We are trying to get more partially sighted people up and being active. They don't have to do the triathlon, it could be other sports or even get out and about more."

The partially-sighted triathletes are bound to a guide during the Olympic distance of 1.5km swim, a 40km cycle ride, and 10km run. Mr Kiff trains six days a week at Windrush Leisure centre, with his guide Dennis Murphy, also of Witney. West Oxfordshire Council last week handed over a £250 Sports Achievement Award for for his efforts. To sponsor the runners, log on to charitiestrust.org

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