Disability Sport Wales
Chwaraeon Anabledd Cymru

Paralympics: Golden Wonders

This time last year, Welsh athletes were winning gold medals at the Beijing Olympics. Twelve months on, they reveal how their lives have changed.

A year after pounding to victory, Wales’ Olympic and Paralympic gold medallists have come back to earth. They tell Abbie Wightwick what the past 12 months has meant to them

DAVID ROBERTS CBE
Paralympic swimmer, four golds in the 100m, 400m and 50m freestyle events and the 4×100m freestyle relay
“It’s back to reality now. It took until Christmas before I was ready for that.
“I was back in normal training before that but last Christmas was the point I drew the line.
“This is a busy year as we have the European and World Championships. It’s all about keeping fit and racing fit.
“After the games I had 10 days off but I haven’t had a holiday this year.
“It is hard coming back from the Olympics. It’s one of the hardest things to go from racing in the Olympic finals to training in Swansea.
“It was nice getting the medals. It was the culmination of four years’ work, but there’s always more to do.
“I’m a greedy person – I want to get to a minute for 100m freestyle, having broken the world Paralympic record winning gold in one minute 35 seconds.
“One minute is the aim now. I won’t sleep until I do it and I definitely will. I need a goal as an athlete as it gives you true impetus.
“I live in Cardiff with my girlfriend Agata. She’s Polish but she used to swim for Sweden.
“We met through swimming and she’s just graduated from Cardiff University Law School. We live with our lurcher dog, Lula.
“I come down to Wales International Pool in Swansea and train four hours each day.
“If I stop swimming I would be involved in swimming in some way because it’s all I’ve ever done. I really enjoy it.
“In May I won the S6 50m and 100m freestyle at the Paralympic World Cup but I can’t commit to London in 2012 just now as I’m focusing on the Commonwealth Games in December.”

ELEANOR SIMMONDS MBE
Paralympic swimmer, golds in the S6 class 100m and 400m freestyle
“The first few weeks back after the Olympics I found quite hard. I felt quite down, as if there was nothing to look forward to.
“It had been brilliant with everything going on and it’s hard to come back from that.
“Then we had time off and it got better after that because I wanted to get back.
“I was really honoured to be made an MBE at New Year. It was a surprise.
“I’m at Olchfa Comprehensive in Swansea and I’m choosing my GCSE subjects at the moment. I train every day after school. This year we’re preparing for the British Long Course Championships, the Paralympic World Cup and trials for the European Championships.
“At Easter I went on holiday to Greece with my family. We had a villa with a pool, but it was only play swimming.
“Last year we were so focused on the Olympics and being in Beijing was the best time.
“Preparing for the races I thought I was going to be sick. When my nerves had gone I just wanted to get in and do it.
“Three months ago I set another swimming record at the BT Paralympic World Cup in Manchester.
“I shaved 1.23 seconds off the women’s S6 100m freestyle, making it in 16.21 seconds. I was shocked. I was really surprised about the time.
“Winning in Beijing and being on that podium and having that feeling makes me want to do it again.
“You feel that after getting a gold medal you talk to more people so you get more sociable and confident.”

SIMON RICHARDSON MBE
Cyclist, won two golds and a silver at the Beijing Paralympics, breaking the 1km time trial world record in the process
“I’ve not had time to think about what I did in Beijing properly, even now.
“I came back from the games and had two races in the national series. I then had two weeks off in October and started training again.
“I’ve not had time to let it sink in. I only really realise what I’ve done when I go to schools to show children my medals.
“The medals are passed around and they ask questions. Everyone is more excited than I am!
“I’ve done talks in schools and also opened a customer service building in Bridgend and did a talk for Maesteg Rotary Club.
“I don’t like talking in public though. I went straight from getting my medal to having a TV camera in my face. I found that very difficult.
“You have to get used to having a public profile. I’ve got to do it, but I don’t like it.
“I did cycling at club level because it’s a solo sport. I don’t like being in the limelight at all you see. My life hasn’t changed at all since getting the medals really and I didn’t expect it to.
“But I’m now in the British team and getting support from them. I’ve also joined Team Terminator and Martin McCrossan of Sprocket Promotions is working on sponsorship for me.
“It’s been a busy year. I raced for Team Terminator in Australia as guest rider for the Australian Disabled Nationals in February and in March I trained with the British team.
“The World Championships have been split in two with the road section now in Italy in September and the track section in Manchester in November.
“Then, in December, I’m going to try for the hour record in what is known as the ‘back to back’.
“This time last year I didn’t know I was going to Beijing. I went to the World Cup in May and took a second off the world record.
“It’s been momentous. This is only the fourth season I’ve been back on my bike since the accident.
“The accident was in January 2001 and I had five years of operations.
“My former coach Courtney Rowe at the velodrome in Newport got me from nothing to this.
“I am psychologically strong but it’s still difficult being on the roads knowing cars could knock me off again.
“I broke my shoulder last year too. Cycling is a dangerous sport – then again, every sport is dangerous at the top of the game.
“I train on standard racing and road bikes but with a short crank on the left side. My bike weighs 7kg and costs £6,500. I only ever pedal with one leg now.
“The 2012 Olympics is still a long-term goal. As long as I keep my qualifying times I’ll stay in the team. That’s my aim anyway.
“My wife Amanda and sons Ashley, 19, and Benjamin, 15, are pleased for me but want to be in the background. They say it’s my achievement.”

LIZ JOHNSON
Paralympic swimmer, one gold medal in 100m breaststroke
“It’s weird now. Even though you’re not still bouncing about, every now and again something comes up and you think about it all over again.
“Winning gold doesn’t make you change as a person but you get more experience and meet so many different people. You get to be a bit more of a rounded person.
“Going to the Sports Personality of the Year Awards with Ellie Simmonds was amazing. We met Joe Calzaghe and Gary Lineker and Tim Henman. We also met Michael Johnson and that was amazing for me. We’ve got a whole photo diary of the evening.
“But you swim for the gold medal, nothing else. Things like that come on the back of it. Now it’s back into swimming and full-time training and real life.
“I graduated in business from Swansea University in 2007 and took 2008 out for the Olympics.

“I now train at Bath University. I want to be an accountant but I’ll still swim.

“We’ve got some major things coming up and there’s so much I still want to achieve. Winning at Beijing was a target but I needed a break. I needed a holiday to realise I’m not done with swimming yet. You don’t know what’s going to happen year to year. You have to have short-term goals but Ellie and me both want to go to London in 2012.”

MEDAL WINNERS

Welsh gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games were won by cyclists Nicole Cooke and Geraint Thomas and rower Tom James, while there was silver for rower Tom Lucy and swimmer David Davies in the biggest Welsh medal haul for nearly a century.
The performance of the Welsh athletes at the Beijing games was the best since the 1908 Olympics in London.

Welsh paralympians also contributed more than 20% of the gold medals won by Team GB, with a total tally of 14 – 10 golds, three silver medals and a bronze.

Silvers were awarded to Gareth Duke (100m breaststroke), Nyree Leis (100m backstroke) and Simon Richardson (road time trial cycling).

John McFall brought home the bronze in the 100m. Paralympic cycling pilot Ellen Hunter OBE , 41, from Wrexham, won two gold medals with visually-impaired cyclist Aileen McGlynn. She was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.

Western Mail 15 August 2009

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