Paralympians from Bath head to Paris with gold medal dreams
Paralympians who train at the University of Bath are heading to Paris determined to write their own chapters in this summer’s sporting success story.
Seven athletes from four sports – Dan Bethell (para-badminton), Suzanna Hext (para-swimming), Michael Taylor (para-triathlon), and Gemma Collis, Dimitri Coutya, Piers Gilliver, and Oliver Lam-Watson (wheelchair fencing) – have been selected to represent Britain at the Games, which got underway yesterday (Wednesday).
Defending Category A epee champion Gilliver, Coutya, and Lam-Watson brought nine medals home from Tokyo between them – one gold, three silver, and five bronze – and, along with four-time Paralympian Gemma Collis, will be keen to add to their tally when they compete in the stunning Grand Palais from 3rd to 7th September.
With pool matches starting early in the morning and medals decided in the evening, the fencers are facing five long days of competition and Gilliver, silver-medallist in Rio and gold-medallist in Tokyo, said: “It’s going to be a challenging environment—not only are you facing the world’s best athletes but you’ve also got a very tough schedule to stick to.
“It’s going to be a really special experience, though. Paris is so close to home, we’ve got a fantastic venue with the Grand Palais, and friends and family will be able to come and support us. That will mean a huge amount.”
Para-swimmer Hext, who will contest the S5 100m freestyle tomorrow (Friday), is also looking forward to experiencing a venue that provided one of the best atmospheres at the Olympics – the Paris La Défense Arena.
Watching on TV and seeing that pool—oh my gosh, it’s going to be insane,” said Hext, whose Paralympics debut in Tokyo was cut short by illness.
“I’m going to be able to hear the noise too because of the rule change which means I’m allowed to race with my cochlear implants. I can’t wait.”
It’s a second Games too for Taylor, originally from Barnstaple and now living and studying in Bristol, who is coached by Jack Hall with the British Triathlon Bath National Performance Centre squad.
“It’s going to be a very different experience to Tokyo,” said Taylor, a lower-leg amputee who will compete in the PTS4 race on Sunday.
“My family and friends are going to be there, and there will be crowds on the course too. The course itself is incredible, right through the centre of Paris. I think the River Seine swim will hopefully really play to my strengths.
“I used to swim a lot in the sea while growing up in North Devon, so I should be used to the currents in the river. It’s a nice, flat course and the weather should be relatively cool so I think it should suit me.”
Bathonian Bethell – who does his regional training at the Sports Training Village where he began his para-badminton journey as a youngster with the Team Bath Futures athlete development programme – made history in Tokyo when he won Britain’s first-ever medal in the sport, a SL3 men’s singles silver.
He has high ambitions for Paris, saying: “My hope is to win the gold medal, that’s what I set out to do in this sport from the very beginning. Winning a silver in Tokyo was one dream fulfilled and it’s amazing to be a Paralympian, now I want to upgrade the colour in Paris.”
