A WORLD champion deaf footballer who faced his dreams being shattered now has glory in his sights again after a £10,000 rescue bid by Mohamed Al-Fayed.
Ben Lampert, who lives in Wembley, played for the Great Britain Deaf Football team that won gold at the 2005 Deaflympics, but until recently appeared unlikely to get the chance to defend their crown.
A Government decision earlier this year to divert funding away from UK Deaf Sport - and into the 2012 London Olympics - left Lampert and his team-mates each needing to find £3,000 in order to make it to the 2009 games in Taiwan in September.
But Lampert, who plays for Fulham Deaf Football Club, is breathing a sigh of relief after millionaire Fulham owner Al-Fayed stepped in with the cash injection that helped achieve the targets of all 12 Fulham DFC players in the GB squad.
"We achieved amazing things in the last Deaflympics, and now I am determined to do even better," said Lampert.
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Fulham deaf star
Ben Lampert |
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"My dream came true when I won the gold medal, especially at the age of 19 when I was starting out in semi-professional football and was new to the Deaflympics.
"It was the biggest achievement of my life and one of the most valuable experiences as I developed confidence in my football and education."
Great Britain defeated Iran 2-1 in the final in the 2005 games in Australia, a memory that Lampert still cherishes and is desperate to repeat.
But he and the rest of the team were reeling when it was announced funding was to be withdrawn, an act they felt was clear discrimination.
Since then, the players have been fundraising tirelessly to raise the money and, together with the donation from Al-Fayed (pictured), have smashed their individual targets.
"My ultimate aim is to bring home a second gold medal," added Lampert.
"Deaf Sports is extremely important for all talented and deaf athletes, and its grassroots encourage young deaf athletes to develop.
"When we won the final it was an amazing feeling for me and all my team-mates from various backgrounds, it was very emotional.