"Do we want to stay in the top five?" said Hellwig.

"Of course.

"I think it's a really good thing – nothing wrong with trying to be excellent.

"We will not be top three.

"I think the Brits, China and Russia are going to battle it out for the top three.

"The United States, Ukraine, Brazil, ourselves, France, Germany, there's going to be six to eight countries really close after that.

"What we know is we've got a chance to be top five – we've also got a chance to be 12th.

"Regardless of what happens next, up until this point, this has been an absolutely fantastic preparation."


Australia's London 2012 contingent of 160 athletes is the largest team that the nation has ever sent to a Paralympics outside of its own country and all were given a farewell by Sydney's Lord Mayor Clover Moore (pictured above, centre), at the city's Town Hall yesterday.

Among them is sprinter Tim Sullivan (pictured top), Australia's most successful Paralympian with 10 Paralympic gold medals from the last three Games.

"You are the people who have faced significant challenges in your lives," she said.

"The fact that you have dealt with those challenges and moved on to live full strong and energetic lives is an enormous tribute to your tenacity, to your self-discipline and to your courage and it's a great inspiration to us all."

Australia has finished in the top five of every Paralympics since Atlanta 1996.

At the last Games in Beijing Australia won 23 gold medals, 29 silver and 27 bronze.

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