by Cathy Wood
First published by Carlton Books Limited in 2011
Copyright © 2011 Carlton Books Limited
Carlton Books Limited
20 Mortimer Street
London, W1T 3JW
ParalympicsGB Lion’s head logo TM © BPA 2005–2010
All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of cover or binding other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978-1-84732-811-3
eISBN: 978-1-78011-182-7
Printed in Great Britain by CPI Mackays, Chatham ME5 8TD
For Beryl
Contents
Introduction
Foreword
For the Record
Chapter 1: The Beginning
Chapter 2: The Changing Games
Chapter 3: Standing Out From the Crowd
Chapter 4: In Search of Gold
Chapter 5: It Could Happen to Anyone
Chapter 6: Behind the Scenes
Chapter 7: Pushing the Boundaries
Chapter 8: On Top of the World
Acknowledgements
List of Acronyms
Pictures
Index and Picture Credits
Introduction
It’s 4.40am and my alarm clock rudely rings in another day as it has done for the past 11 years and, unknown to me, will continue to do so for the coming six. The year is 1996 and I’m in the final stages of training for the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games. It’s a freezing February morning and my gold medal hopes, never mind the proverbial wild horses, aren’t enough to drag me from my quilted cocoon. What gets me out of bed, as ever, is the thought of the other 18 City of Birmingham swimmers I train with who are all feeling the same, knowing it is their job to be there, to ensure we work out as one, to move forward as a group, as a team.
So what does it take to be a Paralympian? The true magic of the Paralympic Games is that there is no magic. Instead, perfect planning, complete commitment, unfailing teamwork and, for me, literally thousands of hours and millions of metres in the swimming pool is what converted into gold. Knowing what you are doing and why, with every session planned and every decision resting on the answer to one question – will it improve my race time? And if the answer is not in the affirmative, why am I doing it?
The glorious Paralympic Games are at their best when competition takes part in front of buzzing crowds, as was the case at Barcelona 1992. A packed Aquatics Centre was bathed in Spanish sunshine and, for me, marked the culmination of seven years of hard yards. To have the luck, the fantastic fortune, to win six gold medals at a single Games proved the power of the team – not individual achievement, but shared success. Four years later, I defended my titles at Atlanta 1996 then went on to compete at Sydney 2000. In all, this blessed me with nine gold medals from three Paralympic Games, friendships from East to West and memories etched forever in my heart and mind.
Now, sitting in my office, a mere ball throw away from the Olympic Park where the action will take place at London 2012, I reflect on my Paralympic Games past and consider the future for the Games. We have many goals for London 2012 including stadiums full of excited fans, millions of viewers across the country tuning in and billions around the world doing the same, many of whom will be experiencing Paralympic sport for the first time. Channel 4, our domestic broadcast partner, promises more hours of coverage when the Games start than ever before, but even more significantly, complete commitment to promoting Paralympians, Paralympic sport and the Games as a whole, ever since they got involved at the start of 2010. Similarly, the sponsorship provided by Sainsbury’s has the potential not just to shift perceptions, but to blast the Paralympic Games into the mainstream. With over 21 million customers going through Sainsbury’s stores every week, this means millions of people can get behind our ParalympicsGB team.
And all from such small acorns. Picture Stoke Mandeville Hospital, famous for its treatment of spinal injuries, back in 1948 with a handful of archers on the lawns, competing among each other as part of their rehabilitation. This is where the Paralympic Games were born. Time’s arrow has flown, blowing the winds of change through Rome 1960 (the first time both Olympic and Paralympic Games took place in the same city), Seoul 1988 (to many, the first truly modern Paralympic Games), Sydney 2000 (simply superb) and Beijing 2008 (where the Paralympic Games took on the same splendour as the Olympic Games). Now attention turns to London 2012, where over 4,000 athletes across 20 sports will compete in front of two million spectators in the stadiums and billions more across the globe on television. Our aim for the athletes is simple: to put them at the heart of everything we do and to take care of the detail, so all they have to focus on is pulling out the performance of their lives.
The potential of the Paralympic Games is immense. We aim for a Games that is value-rich and courageous, which seeks to connect and to draw in more than stand out. It has the power to change us as individuals, communities and a country for the better.
And the future? As the Winter and Summer Games go forward to Socci 2014 and Rio 2016 and beyond, their development will surely continue with increased commercial and public interest, more countries competing and more Paralympians transformed into household names and heroes.
Any more than this will inevitably be speculative. What is clear, though, is that the Paralympic Games is coming to London and we all have an extraordinary opportunity to be part of it.
Chris Holmes, MBE, London 2011
Foreword
The Paralympic Games is now one of the world’s biggest sporting events and I’m proud to have been part of the British Swimming team at Beijing 2008, an experience that will live with me forever.
There’s so much to be in awe of when looking back over the history of the Games and the British athletes who have always done so well. It’s an honour to feel that I’m adding to that history, since in many ways I’m just starting out on my own career.
I was so excited at being selected for Beijing 2008 because I didn’t think they would take me because of my age – I was 13 at the time. But I couldn’t have made it without several key components being in place. The support of my family and coaches was critical, but also the inspiration I get from being part of the Paralympic movement is also very important.
When I reflect on my own career to date I can see how important that support has been. I was invited onto British Swimming’s talent programme just after my tenth birthday after taking part in my first disability competition at the age of nine. Everyone on the programme was nurtured and this made us all feel that we might have some ability.
My own role models spurred me on as well. I was inspired by watching Nyree Lewis winning the 100m Backstroke at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games and she and others, such as Erin Popovich and Michael Phelps, have been my inspiration, all amazing athletes, regardless of whether they compete in the Olympic or Paralympic Games. The feeling of having a gold medal hung around your neck as you stand on the top of the podium is incredible. I was so happy and emotional that it all now seems a blur.
So the Paralympic Games are about striving to see what we’re all capable of achieving but there is more to it than just that. The Games are also about community and I have loved the fact that I have made loads of friends at events across the world, both disabled and non-disabled. There is a wonderfully supportive atmosphere among all the swimmers: we are highly competitive in the water on race day, but the best of friends once the racing is over
– win or lose – and I love the atmosphere and camaraderie of competitions.
Winning is a great feeling but it is also very important that people, particularly young disabled people, can see that you can achieve your dreams if you really want to and work hard enough. The Paralympic movement has allowed me to achieve my dream, by creating the platform whereby I can compete against others with a similar disability.
So this book about British Paralympic success is close to my heart. It shows how the Games and the athletes have moved on since its conception in 1948, when disabled sport was seen as rehabilitation, to today, where competitors are full-time athletes with the same training regimes as their non-disabled counterparts. Some athletes are now also competing at the top levels of non-disabled sport and it happily seems that the Paralympic Games are fulfilling their vision of being the ‘parallel’ Games.
Many of the athletes you will come across on the pages of this book have had similar experiences, thoughts and feelings to mine and I hope you enjoy reading about them as a new opportunity for more success comes around at London 2012.
Ellie Simmonds, MBE, Swansea, 2011
For the Record
The Paralympic Games
From 1948–59, sports competitions for the disabled were held annually at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. In 1952, the first international competitors arrived. The ninth competition, in 1960, was held in Rome and this event is considered to be the first Paralympic Games, which has since been held every four years, in the same year as the Olympic Games.
Rome
1960
Seoul
1988
Tokyo
1964
Barcelona
1992
Tel Aviv
1968
Atlanta
1996
Heidelberg
1972
Sydney
2000
Toronto
1976
Athens
2004
Arnhem
1980
Beijing
2008
New York/Stoke Mandeville
1984
Athletes featured in this book:
Tom Aggar DOB: 24/05/84
Sport:
Rowing
Record:
Beijing 2008, Gold (Single Sculls – ASM1x)
Danielle Brown DOB: 10/04/88
Sport:
Archery
Record:
Beijing 2008, Gold (Individual Compound – Open)
Tel Byrne DOB: 7/06/84
Sport:
Cycling
Record:
London 2012 Games hopeful
Sophie Christiansen DOB: 14/11/87
Sport:
Equestrian
Record:
Athens 2004, Bronze (Championships Test: Individual – Grade 1a); Beijing 2008, Gold (Freestyle Test: Individual – Grade 1a, Team – Open), Silver (Championships Test: Individual – Grade 1a)
Philip Craven DOB: 4/07/50
Sport:
Athletics, Wheelchair Basketball, Swimming
Record:
Heidelberg 1972, Toronto 1976, Arnhem 1980, New York/Stoke Mandeville 1984, Seoul 1988
Jody Cundy DOB: 14/10/78
Sport:
Swimming and Cycling
Record:
Atlanta 1996, Gold (100m Butterfly – S10); Sydney 2000, Gold (100m Butterfly – S10, 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay – 34 points), Bronze (100m Backstroke – S10); Athens 2004, Bronze (100m Butterfly – S10); Beijing 2008, Gold (1km Time Trial LC2, Team Sprint LC1-4 CP3/4)
Tanni Grey-Thompson DOB: 26/07/69
Sport:
Athletics
Record:
Seoul 1988, Bronze (400m 3); Barcelona 1992, Gold (100m, 200m, 400m, 800m – TW3), Silver (4 x 100m Relay – TW3-4); Atlanta 1996, Gold (800m – T52), Silver (100m, 200m, 400m – T52); Sydney 2000, Gold (100m, 200m, 400m, 800m – T53); Athens 2004, Gold (100m, 400m – T53)
Chris Holmes DOB: 15/10/71
Sport:
Swimming
Record:
Seoul 1988, Silver (50m Freestyle, 400m Freestyle – B2), Bronze (100m Freestyle – B2); Barcelona 1992, Gold (50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle, 400m Freestyle, 100m Backstroke, 200m Backstroke, 200m Individual Medley – B2), Silver (400m Individual Medley – B1-2); Atlanta 1996, Gold (50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle, 100m Backstroke – B2), Silver (200m Individual Medley – B2); Sydney 2000, Silver (4 x 100m Medley Relay – S11-S13)
Darren Kenny DOB: 17/03/70
Sport:
Cycling
Record:
Athens 2004, Gold (1km Time Trial Bicycle CP Div 3/4, Individual Pursuit Bicycle CP Div 3), Silver (Time Trial Bicycle CP Div 3); Beijing 2008, Gold (Individual Road Race LC3-4 CP3, 1km Time Trial CP3, Individual Pursuit CP3, Team Sprint LC1-4 CP3/4), Silver (Individual Time Trial CP3)
Margaret Maughan DOB: 20/06/28
Sport:
Archery, Dartarchery, Lawn Bowls, Swimming
Record:
Rome 1960, Gold (Archery –Women’s Columbia Round Open, Swimming – 50m Backstroke); Heidelberg 1972, Gold (Dartarchery – Women’s Pairs Open); Toronto 1976, Silver (Dartarchery –Women’s Pairs Open, Lawn Bowls –Women’s Pairs); Arnhem 1980, Gold (Lawn Bowls –Women’s Pairs)
Peter Norfolk DOB: 13/12/60
Sport:
Wheelchair Tennis
Record:
Athens 2004, Gold (Singles – Quad), Silver (Doubles – Quad); Beijing 2008, Gold (Singles – Quad), Bronze (Doubles – Quad)
Josie Pearson DOB: 03/01/86
Sport:
Wheelchair Rugby and Athletics
Record:
Beijing 2008 (Wheelchair Rugby)
Lee Pearson DOB: 4/02/74
Sport:
Equestrian
Record:
Sydney 2000, Gold (Championships Test – Grade 1a, Freestyle Test – Grade 1a, Team – Open); Athens 2004, Gold (Championships Test – Grade 1a, Freestyle Test – Grade 1a, Team – Open); Beijing 2008, Gold (Championships Test – Grade 1b, Freestyle Test – Grade 1b, Team – Open)
Helene Raynsford DOB: 29/12/79
Sport:
Rowing
Record:
Beijing 2008, Gold (Single Sculls – ASW1x)
Tim Reddish DOB: 12/04/57
Sport:
Swimming
Record:
Barcelona 1992, Silver (100m Butterfly – B1-B2), Bronze (100m Freestyle – B2); Atlanta 1996, Silver (200m Individual Medley – B1), Bronze (100m Freestyle – B1); Sydney 2000, Silver (4 x 100m Medley Relay – S11-S13)
Dave Roberts DOB: 25/05/80
Sport:
Swimming
Record:
Sydney 2000, Gold (100m Freestyle – S7, 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay – 34 points, 50m Freestyle – S7), Silver (100m Backstroke – S7, 400m Freestyle – S7, 4 x 100m Medley Relay – 34 points); Bronze (4 x 50m Freestyle – 20 points); Athens 2004, Gold (100m Freestyle – S7, 400m Freestyle – S7, 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay – 34 points, 50m Freestyle – S7), Silver (200m Individual Medley – SM7); Beijing 2008, Gold (100m Freestyle – S7, 400m Freestyle – S7, 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay – 34 points, 50m Freestyle – S7)
Ellie Simmonds DOB: 11/11/94
Sport:
Swimming
Record:
Beijing 2008, Gold (100m Freestyle, 400m Freestyle – S6)
Sarah Storey DOB: 26/10/77
Sport:
Swimming and Cycling
Record:
Barcelona 1992, Gold (100m Backstroke – S10, 200m Individual Medley – SM10), Silver (400m Freestyle – S10, 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay, 4 x 100m Medley Relay – S7-S10), Bronze (100m Freestyle – S10); Atlanta 1996, Gold (100m Backstroke – S10, 100m Breaststroke SB10, 200m Individual Medley – SM10), Silver (400m Freestyle – S10), Bronze (100m Freestyle – S10); Sydney 2000, Silver (100m Backstroke – S10, 4 x 100m Medley Relay – 34 points); Athens 2004, Silver (100m Breaststro
ke – SB9, 200m Individual Medley – SM10), Bronze (100m Freestyle – S10); Beijing 2008, Gold (Individual Time Trail, Individual Pursuit LC1-2/CP4)
Clare Strange DOB: 18/09/79
Sport:
Wheelchair Basketball
Games:
Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008
Caz Walton DOB: 01/02/47
Sport:
Athletics, Basketball, Fencing, Swimming, Table Tennis
Record:
Tokyo 1964, Gold (Athletics – Slalom, Wheelchair Dash); Tel Aviv 1968, Gold (Athletics – 60m Wheelchair, Slalom, Table Tennis – Doubles), Silver (Swimming – 100m Breaststroke, Table Tennis – Singles), Bronze (Pentathlon); Heidelberg 1972, Gold (Athletics – 60m, 4 x 40m Wheelchair Relay, Table Tennis – Singles, Fencing – Foil), Bronze (Pentathlon); Toronto 1976, Bronze (Athletics – 60m, Table Tennis – Singles, Fencing – Foil); Seoul 1988, Gold (Fencing – Epée single)
Dave Weir DOB: 05/06/79
Sport:
Athletics
Record:
Beijing 2008, Gold (1500m, 800m – T54), Silver (400m – T54), Bronze (5000m – T54)
Richard Whitehead DOB: 19/07/76
Sport:
Ice Sledge Hockey and Athletics