Weston boy Tyson O’Neil continues to excel in the Paralympic sport of goalball, with selection in the NSW junior team for the third consecutive year.
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Goalball is a sport designed for blind athletes. It involves a ball containing several bells which the players use to roll the ball into the opponent’s goal.
Opposing players try to block the ball with their bodies by listening to the ball. All players are blindfolded to ensure an equal playing field between all levels of vision impairment.
O’Neil, 13, was part of the Hunter team that won gold in the junior division at the NSW goalball championships on the June long weekend.
He also won the most valuable player trophy for his section.
O’Neil took up goalball just three years ago, and was a member of the NSW junior team (under-16s) that was runner-up at the past two national championships.
Now he will be going for gold at the 2017 nationals, to be held in Melbourne in October.
O’Neil, who attends Kurri Kurri High School, has also been selected in the NSW goalball team for the Pacific School Games in Adelaide in December.
It will be his second time competing at the Pacific School Games – he was part of the NSW team that won bronze at the 2015 event.
He is also a talented track-and-field athlete, having represented the state on a number of occasions.
O’Neil’s efforts in goalball and athletics have earned him the junior athlete with a disability award at the Cessnock City Sportsperson of the Year awards for the past three years.
Not familiar with goalball? Check out the action from the 2016 Paralympic Games in the video below.