Tokyo Part 2: All the highs and lows

The 2021 Tokyo Paralympic Games offered as many highs as it did lows, but without question was 3 weeks of my life that I will never forget and was privileged enough to experience.

 The beginning of this epic adventure begins in a familiar environment to many of us… Heathrow T5.

My parents drove me to the airport, I was wearing my Team GB travel kit (just like the other athletes & staff) it felt like the first day of school. Except theses weren’t snotty little children in shorts, theses were ATHLETES, professional athletes. Some newbies like myself, others more experienced and then LEGENDS of British sport all of whom would be my team mates and training partners for the next 3 weeks, I felt like I was in good company.

The moment we arrived at the airport we were treated like royalty, when we parked outside there were members of staff suited and booted to help me with my luggage and kindly escorted me to the Concord Lounge. The Heathrow staff were warm, friendly and seemed to be over joyed just to be in our presence. This was unlike any other airport experience I’ve ever had.

11 unremarkable hours would follow as we finally touch down in Japan!

Feeling jet lagged, tired but still excited, 3 to 4 hours-worth of paperwork and covid tests were endured as well as a 40min bus ride after which we finally made it to our hotel, a 5 star Hotel no less. Upon our arrival we were met by hotel staff, volunteers and fans, all of whom were wearing GB kit, waving GB flags and holding ‘Go GB’ banners. This very much set the tone of the rest of our stay in Japan, the warmth and hospitality of the host nation (especially the volunteers) is probably the biggest highlight of the whole Paralympic experience.

Our arrival marked the beginning of our 2 week holding camp before heading out to the Olympic Village.

Living in the lap of luxury, eating great food everyday, enjoying the stunning views of Yokohama Bay from my hotel room each morning, I even got to play a grand piano. It was all deeply intertwined with daily covid tests, constant mask wearing and paperwork to fill out kept us pretty level headed, plus the hard graft of training at the Kawasaki Stadium. 

The 2week holding camp gave us the opportunity to shake off the jet lag and get accustomed to training and racing in the 35C+ heat.

The Kawasaki Stadium was littered with motivational slogans written in both Japanese and English by volunteers and Japanese school children, we were also given origami swans in the colours of the Union Jack, it made for a very pleasant training environment.

Just when I got use to the new routine in the holding camp it was time to head out to the Olympic Village! (OV)

So far everything has been pretty plain sailing at this stage, it is at this point where some inconveniences would start to occur.

The Olympic Village was a slice of Utopia, every nation under the sun rubbing shoulders with one another and getting along was truly enjoyable to witness and be a part of, that teamed with the 24h food hall made the OV experience for me.

Having said that, it was quite the contrast from our 5star hotel in the holding camp, with beds made from cardboard, paper thin walls, plastic folding chairs and not much else.

In the OV, nerves and excitement started to creep in as I edged closer to becoming a true Paralympian. I only had a few days to get to know my new surrounding before I was due to compete, frustratingly my race chair got damaged on the way from the holding camp, not a great start I’m sure you’d agree.

The front forks had buckled during transit which meant I couldn’t get my front wheel on. Thankfully the British Athletics staff were quick to react and were able to get it repaired, within a few hours they came back and the chair was fixed… sort of, it wasn’t quite tracking straight but good enough to race in.

Another issue was that my race wheels had gone missing and were only found 2 hours before the bus was due to leave for my first event, the 5000m.

Thankfully with all those issues sorted I made my way to the Olympic Stadium. 

I did my usual warmup routine and made my way through several call rooms, to finally merge out of the mouth of the tunnel onto the track of the Olympic Stadium. Despite the lack of spectators (due to covid) there was still a palpable atmosphere.

I lined up my race chair on the start line alongside the best athletes in the world, just moments away from achieving my dream. 

I would need to finish in the top 2 in order to make the final. I was holding good track position throughout the race however trouble was just around the corner. I sustained a front wheel puncture and finished last.

No matter, I was still absolutely delighted to have competed on the biggest stage against the biggest names in the sport.

Once I had dusted myself off from all the mishaps of the 5000m I was looking forward to see what I could do in the 400m.

We lined up, there was a problem with the start gun, once solved, we lined up again. Then, one of the athletes false started and was disqualified and we lined up for the 3rd and final time. I finished 4th and whilst it was not enough to make the final, I was pleased to have achieved a PB on the biggest stage… or so I thought. I was later disqualified due to a lane infringement, meaning that the fastest time I have ever produced in the 400m wouldn’t count.

A tough pill to swallow, but I now had the 1500m to focus on.

Thankfully in the 1500m my fortunes turned, I finished with a PB which was faster than the Paralympic Record which had stood since 2008, but best of all I made the FINAL!

In the final I would place 6th this time with a new BRITISH RECORD that went under the previous world record! 7 of the 10 athletes went under the previous world record, making it the fastest 1500m in athletic history.

Which brings us on to the 800m, where unfortunately my fortunes would turn once more.

In wet conditions I would once again be disqualified from the race due to lane infringement.

And this sums up my first Paralympic experience. An experience in which I emerge a better and more complete athlete.

My current focus are Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (UK) and the World Championships in Kobe (Japan).

I hope you have enjoyed this series of blogs documenting my journey to the Paralympic Games, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at City Asset Management especially Nick and Denise for supporting me throughout this journey, without them these achievements wouldn’t have been possible. Thank you!

All pictures credited to British Athletics and Getty Images