Paris 24 | Orla Comerford | Greta Streimikyte | Mary Fitzgerald | Shauna Bocquet | Aaron Shorten

Ora comford how excited are you for the par Olympic Games it's around the corner at this stage I know it's so close no I'm I'm really excited it's definitely kind of all feeling a bit more real now with Team selection and kit and all that stuff but uh yeah very excited talking about the Kate it's so nice and the runners as well it's gorgeous I know we're all decked out Ling it definitely veryy and tell us a little bit about your training and how that's been going good yeah it's been uh a busy season I kind of raced through May and June and then in July now I've kind of gone back to a bit of a training block kind of when you're racing back and back back to forth sorry when you're racing back to back obviously you kind of lose a little bit of that Fitness because you're kind of not taking on as much volume in the gym or on the track you need to be fresh for racing and make sure you're seeing injury free and so you kind of sometimes all that hard slog that you put in over winter or you know before the season kind of um starts to dwindle a little bit so kind of taking that opportunity to do a few weeks get a block of kind of a bit more volume in um at the moment and then do a few more racing to sharpen up before we head off on Camp and this season has been really successful for you you've gone from strength to strength a PB as well breaking that 12 seconds yeah it was really nice yeah bril it was kind of like a kind of a sense of Joy but then almost like a sense of relief that followed very quickly after you know and you've been chasing it for so long and I think for me it just kind of felt like a bit of a gate that I kind of I'm hoping to run much faster times than into the 118s the 117s but in order to do that you have to go under the 12 and it just feels like a bit of a gate you have to push through and then hopefully the times from there will kind of come in the right direction you know what I haven't even mentioned it is the 100 MERS that that you're competing in 100 m yes tell us about the training for the 100 meters and I suppose how that might differ from maybe people might be a bit more familiar with the the two and the four tell us how how that differs yeah look this is definitely a lot more shorter sharper work um I think it's funny you know when you talk about I'm like oh we have a big speed endurance session today I'm like we have 150s and someone's like 150 m is volume like are you real um so definitely just the intensity of what you do is kind of a bit higher it's more intentional um I think for us like we would say specifically have a day where we're doing speed so we're kind of doing our our flies we're doing acceleration another day we're doing our block work and another day we kind of do a little bit more of that volume so making sure that we're moving fast across maybe 150 120 90 um but taking proper recovery so that you're keeping the quality high of those reps like in in winter it's easier to kind of do the kind of slower a little bit more longer shorter recoveries but kind of at this end of the season trying to keep things fast kind of keep the form and and kind of build up that that heart and lungs in that session a little bit as well well as much as they're needed for 100 meters but you know what I mean I think for me the end of my 100 has been a bit of a weakness in previous years just with injuries I've kind of missed out on a little bit of that volume work where we were able to get back in and do some of the shorter sharper work we maybe weren't able to tolerate that that longer stuff that I was doing a lot of on the bike or in the pool so this year being able to build that in and really seeing the kind of rewards of that in in in the second half of my 100 yeah and this is your third par Olympic Games so you were at Rio and Tokyo two totally different experiences i' imagine with Tokyo not having any supporters or that there and then you were so young you're 18 years of age at rio rio yeah no it's mean I'm really kind of leaning into third times a charm yeah for this one and I think it it's like as close to home games as you're going to get like it's so it's so close to home there's so many people traveling out to it which is so exciting um but I think to go into it with the experience of the other two was a real privilege as well like to be able to kind of have a bit more of a level head in your shoulders to have been through kind of the media circus of it all the kind of noise the The Village the you know the kind of new experience of it to be able to kind of be a little more um kind of expectant of that helps but I think yeah those experiences were very different like Rio to me was a real throne in the deep end I was 18 it was sort of the big the first kind of time I had represented Ireland it was yeah a huge honor and a huge privilege and um I kind of expected that that experience would stand to me and then I would kind of reach the performance goals I had in Tokyo and then through kind of the Jigs and the rails and and all of the kind of injuries that I had been in I it that's not how it worked out and with my coach passing just before I left it was just a bit of an em emotional roller coaster you were there in a hotel room isolated by yourself away from family away from Friends and then I I picked up a bit of a quad strain on our camp and I just like everything felt like it was crumbling you know in front of me and I I kind of it was so far from the expectation I had for the games you know five years previous when I came away from Rio and I said like wow I'm I'm going to come back and I'm going to be so different and they were so different and not in the way I had imagined but I kind of think I think that stood to me you know I think I learned a lot about myself I learned a lot about my Sport and I think I hope that that's kind of definitely helped to build the aete I am today and and the position I'm in going into Paris yeah and I'm sure you're going to take a lot from that without even realizing like such a young athlete to go through all of that I know you've spoken about Brian Corker and your your coach have passed away before I'm sure he's had a massive influence on your whole journey huge huge yeah I think because he was kind of the coach I had when I I took that move that that step from sort of um loving Athletics and doing it to kind of really stepping it up and taking it seriously I think I kind of let a lot of my other sports go at that point point I focused in On Athletics and Brian saw a lot of potential in me and he he really built me up I I don't know that I saw that potential in myself but he kind of really Built Me Up he'd tell me I'd run these times at the end of the season and I I I'd start the season I'd be like he's mad like I'm so far away from that like I I why does he think I could run that and time and time again he was right and I think that built up a lot of confidence in me and and even just the way his experience his eye the way he he dealt with us in training was just something that was it's something that sticks with me you know I think his his voice is kind of always in my ear like when I'm doing a training session or when I'm at a competition I can I I feel his presence there like do you know what I mean um so I think for me that's yeah it really shaped who I am as an athlete and I think especially coming into this season like finally breaking the 12 you know like Jenny his daughter had sent me a message and I was just like oh I finally did it he like he said i' do it and like I finally done it I you know took me a bit longer than we' both planned but um yeah I think that's that's definitely it's important oh amazing and for people that might not know your story or to tell us a little bit about how you came into paralytics yeah so I suppose I joined Athletics when I was really young I was about six or seven when I joined rahini Shamrock and I was just I was kind of mad about any sport where I could run and so I asked if there was a sport where that's just what you did and my mom signed me up um and then at the age of 11 I came home from my school holidays back into school in fifth class and I wasn't able to read like any of my books or the board anymore and we subsequently found out that I had star carts which basically means that my central vision has deteriorated it's quite poor but my per peral vision would be quite good so like I'd have a good field of vision but the the detail of it would be quite poor the quality of it is quite poor um so I think that for me was like obviously a lot changed in my life then but I I was also 11 so I'm kind of like I feel like I was most concerned about like what other people would think like I you know I don't think I was kind of thinking bigger picture about like my life my future my career um but as I got older like those things you know I was confronted with those things when everyone starts to learn to drive and you realize I'm never going to drive and you know you you you learn those things as you go but I think Athletics for me was I think it was a really important tool in in kind of building confidence for me I kind of mentioned before I had a great coach when I was that age who he was you know he was a real he had great confidence in me as well and he sort of helped to instill that in me and I feel when I came up to the track and I felt like it was something I was good at and something you know there weren't barriers or boundaries in my way he always found a way to kind of make me feel comfortable or make things work for me and without ever feeling like I was different um and I think that helped to really kind of give me confidence so then like going out in in the world and other things I kind of I think that that stood to me you know and was it hard to navigate at all at a young age I know you mentioned there you were 11 so you're probably not thinking too far ahead yeah I I don't know to be honest I think I find it harder now not to navigate like I think I'm obviously very used to it but I think my eyesight is much worse now than it would have been when I was 11 so I've been lucky that like I haven't had a dramatic drop off of a lot of sight quite quickly like I had initially but it kind of happens gradually which which does mean it's easier to to figure things out because you kind of instead of being able to do something yesterday and not today it's maybe like you think oh I think a few months ago I I was able to do that or I didn't find that so challenging but I find now as it's as I get older and I become more aware and I'm sort of like learning more about myself and about the world around me I you know I definitely I can see the energy it takes to do the things that take other people no energy at all I can understand a little bit more about how it impacts me but I don't like it doesn't stop me like I you know I'm still very determined I do everything I I want to do but I think yeah I think I found it not harder growing up but I just think I I understand it more now than I did at that time I think there was a bit of blissful naivity and I kind of was like oh whatever I'll just do what I want and like I can ignore this and I can just pretend it's not there and I'm just like everybody else and that worked for me when I was young but I think now it's sort of an embracing it to me is more important you know and for your family as well to be able to I'm sure that was hard for them to go through and then for them to see you now competing must be incred well I to be honest I'm so grateful for the way they handled it when I was young because I think that's what's given me the ability to kind of move with such independence and confidence now it was that they sort of were like oh my God we can't we can't keep our inside and bubble WRA or we're going to have to push her out in the world so she figures things out that she can build that Independence young and you know so they they were definitely really good at doing that they definitely never told me there was anything I couldn't do they let me figure out what I could or couldn't do for myself I wasn't told you know they were sort of they were great they gave me that Independence and that kind of confidence and the push that that I think set me up for for where I am today so I think I I definitely have them to thank for that brilliant and they'll obviously be looking forward to getting over next Paris yeah no they're very excited so I'm I'm very lucky to have their support they're they're brilliant supporters and they kind of they're always there when you need them but they're they never overstep it I think so that's the lovely thing they're not kind of always there in your ear they're always there when you need them and it's lovely to have that and so they're all kind of getting geared up and excited for Paris now so I'm excited to them there what is the the thing you're really looking forward to most well I mean after the racing it's definitely the food cars and the art museums um no but I'm thinking like it has to be the support that's going to be there I just don't think you know that's not something you're going to get for another you know how many more Cycles is it going to be till the games is back in Europe so to be so close to home and to have so many friends and family coming out I think I'm really looking forward to that bu I think it's just going to it's kind of going to be a a lift and and a bu and excitement that you can't you just can't get it anywhere else you know so I'm really excited for that you mentioned that AR museums that's a big love of yours as well it is I'm loving your nails thank you always something yeah um yeah no I I definitely am kind of looking forward to the couple of days after to kind of explore Paris and you know get to see some of the the lovely art that I've studied for years and never got to see in person so I think that'll be fun oh amazing so do you balance that obviously with doing your your atics as well so I'm working parttime at the moment in the Irish Museum of Modern Art and so yeah it's really lovely for me I think to have a space that's separate from Athletics something that's kind of totally different and you know a whole different group of people and a different space it keeps my mind kind of cleared I think you know it's so easy to get wrapped up in your sport and because like I think your sport people think it's just the time you spend on the track or in the gym and like that's that's only half of it the rest is your it's your sleep it's how you fuel it's the timing of fueling it's you know it's kind of it's very easy for that to become a thought in every moment of the day and so to have a space that kind of takes you away from that I think is really helpful for me anyway um so I find kind of having a space that's creative as well is is is great I think it's also like Financial Security which makes a big difference when you're an athlete to to kind of have that um is really important and so I've kind of found that security and the routine and and the creative space has has really been important amazing well the very best of luck can't wait you Greta St Mita it's great to get a chance to sit down and chat ahead of the par Olympic Games it's only 41 days away now I'm getting told how excited are you I am and to be honest I am I'm now very excited after today because like I feel like every time uh well with r was a bit different with Tokyo was again different and now because people were kind of like towards the end you know throughout all the year people like are you excited are you excited I like no I'm not really not yet it's too early it's too early and now well today we are at the team announcement so I guess it's not too early now so I feel like now I can say yes I think we're it's getting excited it's getting exciting um you know to make the third games you know I couldn't be more grateful to people around me and and my body that was able to handle the training and you know it's a good position to be in oh it absolutely is you mentioned your third games so obviously being at Rio and Tokyo as well will you take experiences from that do you think absolutely I feel like every game's being different the two of them the first one will always going to be the first one and they always going to be something different then like we said with with Tokyo again it was different because of Co now with Paris you know we're back to Europe people will become C and you know we're going to have a lot of Irish support there and family and also I guess it also comes down to the experience as an athlete and how long I've been in sport I always say we always learning it's never ending but you also have years uh behind under your belt you know and and I feel like I'm going to be a bit more calmer I feel you know I'll have more because I know how it is now there's a lot of things that I don't need to worry anymore uh because I know how things work uh I know I know what you expect and and that that's all down to experience and the games the number of games that you went to compete and tell us about your training for the 1500 and I suppose how you're looking for endurance but speed at the same time it's a tough one it is a tough one well our phum our coach he he he his philosophy is more towards endurance so the winters there's been loads of Miles loged which I love I loved um this where was the the most miles I ever done in my life so it was kind of like a bit of testing the body but I was I trust the body I was like okay we'll see and I I feel like I handle it well nobody talks about mental side of running at these M but you learn um you know how to cope with it and all these things um but I feel like yes so endurance for winter was definitely the main the main aim the main the main box to tick and then now we're toward towards the races coming up the race that has been done you know there's you kind of getting a a bit more faster and doing more more more more faster Pace based stuff but we throughout the years we still did that a bit of let's say uh you know flying 20s uh flying you know a bit of kind of touch on that flat speed which is so important uh to have in general and you mentioned the the mental side of the game like that is so important it's such a good point to make because there is such highs and lows and tough training days and having your mind right right is probably the the key to all of this has there been maybe psychologists and things like that that have been available to you or have you have you worked with with anyone like that well I think yeah mental side I feel like now it's great because we do talk about it more than we did in the past uh because we're like body body and you're like you have to go through like you have to just and I I would be that kind of person and as we would be as an athlet like you push it through and like majority of the case works but there's cases when it doesn't work so I think the key is is to have the tools to help the most important thing about mental side is having the tools to to deal with in a certain situation that you are in like yes we have a we have a sports psychologist here she's great um I worked with her a bit um but uh I think it's it's the yes the more the important thing is to have the tools and to have the people I always say the people that's going to be there to support you there's going to be even when have bad days even to people that you can just say like oh my God I have the training so just to let it out there and say and and and you know the people I feel like they're so so so important that's where I definitely you know I always knew that but especially I feel like when you have tough times or things doesn't go your way that people that you can go and chat to and say like maybe here's something outside the box like see different perspective it's it's so important and either is if it's sport psychologist or your teammate or anybody that you feel comfortable talking about about it which you needs to be said that is that is that that's the way you go that's how you able to survive and Sport that's how you can strive strive strive like the word because otherwise it's not possible mhm and for people that might not know your story story gr tell us you are from Lithuania grew up in Ireland I did yes so I came I came to Ireland when I was 15 years old so uh I always joke around when I turn 30 it's going to be half of my life in Ireland and half of my life in Lithuania uh but yes it's been uh it's been when I look back like this where did years ago but I'm uh so yeah so um my dad was the so he came to AR to work and then so it kind of years passed by like he went with the goal just to go for a year or two but the years were passing by and my parents were always that kind of people they knew they wanted to for us to have an education outside Lithuania just because of English language more than anything because they knew was like you have to know this you have to H so their their goal was always this and then while my dad kind of stay was in arand for a few years he started kind of like okay so he's is kind of has his foot one foot in there maybe if you sett a bit more maybe it actually would be a great opportunity done for us to move in to Ireland and and that's what happened and then when we turned 15 yeah when I turned 15 I moved to Ireland amazing and tell me about getting involved with Paralympics Ireland and I suppose being part of this family because it feels like everybody's pretty close here to be honest it is but the I always think well there is a say for the it takes time for the best things to happen and I think I think we all we we all get on really well I feel like we have a great team Dynamic going on um with four girls and one boy but we other the girls were delighted um but so I would say my journey was it's I always say it's um big thank you to my P teacher I always mentioned it so many times but he is so he is the person he needs to be mentioned in the story because um if not him he was the one that kind of mentioned to me about passport because when I came to I didn't really know about the sport and um I feel like he was the one that put that idea of like oh what what you know what would you think about representing Ireland and Par paralympic games and I feel like from that thought from that suggestion um you know it kind of my journey kind of began because then I joined the the club then I started you know started racing started training and then you were you I was able to aim for qualification to the re 2016 par Olympic Games so I feel like that's how my journey it all happened but um I always say you only need one person and that can change the rest of your life and what's his name uh Sean gager wow and that is so important because you do just need someone to to take notice and as you said you might not ever have known about oh no these competitions like my parents thought I'm going to be a musician and now because in Lithuania I was very into music but here you go now like music out the window that's for me the only one person yeah yeah incredible so just um a month away now so you're obviously massively looking forward to that and your family are too overall what is the the thing you're looking forward to most is it getting on the track is it feeling the BS of the crowd is it experiencing it what is a fre yeah oh it's the atmosphere it's always the atmosphere and that's why I that's why I say that Rio would be you never forget it because as nervous as I was and I was so nervous at my first part the games uh I remember St standing at the at that that approach towards the track where we are going to let off to to kind of go towards our start line and and I remember looking up and you just see all the people and then I was like Jesus we're like Gladiators you know here to fight and that is true like we fight in different way what we do because everybody wants to win everybody wants to be as close as the medals as possible so like that's the atmosphere like you just there like oh jeez this is beginning now you know so I think um I think like that's that's the feeling that you get and like and you just can't replicate it it's not possible so I feel like we all as an a probably miss that because it wasn't the case for Tokyo because it wasn't possible and now we're back to on it we're back where there's going to be people there looking at us race and it's incredible when I think about it that people come to watch us like that is the biggest honor that is the biggest that you can ask for yeah you know oh amazing and you can feel it you can feel the people there yeah well you're an absolute Joy thank you so much I love that best the look now and I'll definitely be following along on the journey I get to go over so I can't wait to see oh amazing thank you good stuff thank you well done Aron shorton you must be very excited at the the team naming day for the par Olympics tell me what it means to you to be here to be representing Ireland at the par Olympics means a lot um to be here and you know means a lot to me and um you know Run's always been my favorite sport and um it's always it's it's the only sport I've been good at and you know I'm delighted to get a chance to represent represent Ireland in the par Olympic Games and so I'm looking forward to was there any other sports growing up did you did you play was it always atletics or was there football or GA or anything I used to do other other sports as well it wasn't good I did I did um GA I didn't wasn't good at I didn't understand the sport at the time but wasn't good at it did football wasn't good at it then I did boxing no wasn't good then running that was the last four for me so since then I just knew that was the four the right one for me and I was good at and yeah I was just chatting to to gr your teammate there and she was saying that it was a PE teacher that really saw it in her she didn't even know that you would be able to do this did you ever have anyone that sort of said to you you know you should look into this you should compete in this yeah and when primary school I used to have um I used to do the schools cross country and all used to do laps around the the this theard and and all and and some of the the principal and run running um he's a coach for for the school he does training at the school and and he said to me you should be in a running club I reckon you'd be a great Runner and the principal as well all them said and I and since then I just joined the running club then and they know that that's what you you're good at and I just yeah I'll join and just now then and you and yeah it's worked out worked out and and all yeah oh good stuff and what does this meant for your family good everything and you know that they're very proud that I'm here and you know my parents and my brother are very proud that I'm I'm here I'm I'm going to going to the very proud I'm going to par par Olympic Games and they're looking forward to parents are going over as well oh good stuff so yeah brilliant and obviously you've been to Paris you've competed there so you have a little bit of experience in Paris yeah I've got got the experience the city and it's very nice we there outside and it's it's nice and city is nice and the warm weather is nice and it's good brilliant and tell me a little bit about your training now you have a day off today day off today yeah good stuff you need them yeah that's it I'm what does the rest of the week look like for you then um most most the week I have a new coach training and um most most of the time on T I do go to L tools and train but I say tomorrow will be the session I'm me to be done today will be tomorrow and um all um urance and uh threshold and all and be good and so um yeah so um yeah brilliant and then how much of the supp the nutrition side of things and in the gym and all that that all comes with it are you always I suppose thinking of that and making sure you keep that in practice yeah obviously obvious and think about that and you know keep me do the same and you know keep make sure M do is very good as well and um but you know with the training and all and um eating the right food and all and yeah and tell us about the the team here obviously it's the team name and day today yeah you're the only lad on the team how do you find that good good and it's a great team as well it's great Squad as well well a great team you know it's great to be surrounded by a lot of good athletes fantastic athletes and it's very it's it's very good and the facilities and everything that you have at your disposal here it's incredible it's great they great facilities they have as well and it's very good have you been into the the chamber in sport Ireland yeah yeah what's that like it's good it's very warm yeah very warm I know I got to go in and do H well it was a little bit of a session on the treadmill there and you could be on it for 2 minutes and you feel like you've ran 20 minutes and 30° might be a little bit different for you Aron yeah I've done nearly an hour on it yeah about half an hour on the treadmill you know I done a treadmill with session in it and it was to get used to the the the Heat and the Chamber and as well and um after in Portugal I didn't take the the heat well got sunstroke as well so just to get used to the climate and that's what done the heat chamber and was very good yeah yeah it's having all of these things sort of ready to go and practice so what are you looking forward to most is it getting on the track is it supporters is it hearing the the noise of the crowd what what is it for you um just the EXP looking forward to the experience as well and and you know hearing the crowd as well the the noise of the crowd we hear them chanting my name and you know it's it's a it's very good it's good to hear them and running on the track and you know wearing the color the AR on top as well and you know wearing the color green as well it's you know it's brilliant and it's not very a feeling yeah did you ever think you would represent Ireland um when I was younger well probably not but yeah on when I when I became good then I just knew I I can I'm able to I'm capable of doing it and and um yeah so I KN then and the minute I became juven oil like running I became good then I just knew I can represent ir and I believe I'm I can do it and I just know end you're doing it well done thank you so much for your time Sean Bou it is great to sit down and and have a chat with you ahead of the par Olympic Games how excited are you throwing around the corner now yeah I'm my first games so I'm really really excited and really looking forward to yeah the team nameing day today so hearing that you're officially on the team what does that mean to you yeah that um it's a dream come true for me uh being named my first par Olympic team you know since I started back in 2012 it's always been a dream of mine to represent arand at the par Olympic Games and we're almost there yeah where did you get the inspiration to compete as a par athlete Le so I started racing after watching the par Olympics in London in 2012 so the athletes there kind of inspired me to get racing mhm and where did you go to really get involved was there a local club or anything that you could join or so it was actually I was playing with basketball at the time my first sport was wi basketball and through wi basketball then that's how I got into witer racing I got spotted in dur with through the basketball and then that's so then I got started with the with race and I loved it so then I've kept it mhm and and tell me about your favorite race because you're quite unique in that you have three yeah it's quite common for winter Racers to do multiple and especially at young age obviously as you get older you specify in certain events so as I as I get older and I build up that speed I'm going to specify in 155k and upwards and but for now cuz I'm still quite young we're still wasn't up that speed because obviously as you get older I turn to to get faster so at the par Olympic Games just so people are aware you're going to do the 100 m the 1500 M and the 5,000 m yes amazing and out of those three do you have a favorite my favorite at the moment would be the, 1500 and the five and out of the two my favorite out of those two probably be the 5K at the moment wow so you like the endurance type of ones yeah I really like it it's just more exciting because it's more tactical than you're actually racing in a p in a pack with people so it makes it more exciting amazing and can it get a bit busy as well while everyone is there together do you have to sort of have your you know your wit about you yeah you have to kind of be aware of your surroundings and stay concentrated the whole time because one wrong move or slip of the hands and could be yeah and going to the par Olympics like has this been a dream to to represent your country yeah it's been a big dream of mine since the very beginning so amazing really happy and is your friends and going to go out to Paris yeah so um my mom dad and my brother and sister will go out with me and my dad's actually French amazing so I actually have family over there so they'll come and watch me then as well oh my God good stuff so this is amazing the whole family can be there yeah good job and you're training now tell us what it is like at the minute and what it will be like in the buildup to the paralympic gam it's quite busy at the moment um I finished College there a couple weeks back so we've kind of taken advantage of extra time to kind of add in one or two extra easy sessions you know just to get more miles in and but it's quite busy at the moment but I'm really happy with how training is going and I'm really enjoying it so I can't wait build up to Paris yeah good job and is it hard at times to balance I suppose as you said there college and being a par aete at the same time College this year was quite tough because I started my season quite early so I I was away for quite some time this year but it was it was worth it yeah well it is worth it now yeah it's worth it now and you have the time to sort of just hone in on just competing and really getting your training in now so it's nice I'm sure to forget about college for a little while yeah just being athlete exactly and tell me about your other athletes that are are here on your team it seems like you're really close ni yeah no it's um we are a really close Bunch um I actually only start started coming and I my first team selection was last summer for the world championships in Paris so I'm still kind of getting to know them but really close close bunch and they're really nice Bunch as well the great people to hang out with so brilliant and it must have been nice to get over to the Championships in Paris to get a feel for for Paris as well exactly yeah it's like we've been we've been to the Paris already so we kind of know what's our surroundings and yeah and overall what is the one thing that you're really looking forward to is it getting out there on the track is it experience Paris is it the supporters the boss what is it for you that you can't wait for I think it's pretty much the whole EXP experience really getting into the village like I've never experienced any of that before so I'm assuming it be completely different than just going into a different competition you know in a hotel you know I think the village will be a completely different atmosphere and experience I'm I can't wait to experience that and obviously then the racing I can't really can't wait for that brilliant joh thank you so much for your time and the best looking at with all your training and I can't wait to see you in action in Paris thanks very much Mary Fitzgerald we are just staying there we're getting so excited for the par Olympic Games it's team naming day today yes how does it feel for you at the minute it's incredibly exciting really yeah it's nice that it's finally official um for so long we weren't allowed to say anything and stuff like that and the official official selection wasn't made until today very recently so it's um it's really exciting and to be selected for my second par Olympic Games it's really exciting yes so you got to go to Tokyo and you performed there but there was no crowds there was no family or friends able to to be there on at the time and I'm sure this is going to be a completely different experience yeah yeah it's um surreal really how unique Tokyo was in terms of like the rules restrictions distancing keep away family you know and obious day I was around my close family which is really lovely and they supported me through it all but yeah this time around being able to involve more of my family and this amazing experience is just yeah just makes it all the better and how is your training been going training's been going well it's been busy it's getting more and more focused as time goes on like we're fine tuning and stuff like that like we know the technique I want to use in competition and it's just about the finer details at this point how do we make sure that I put on my best possible performance when it matters most so yeah and it's the shopbot yes so tell us what are the technicalities what are the the real things in training you have to look after when you're training for the shop book yeah so every training session looks different because there are so many elements to books on like there's this strength piece which I kind of conduct away from the circle in the gym stuff like that but stuff like say the angular release how much torque you're building up in your body as you rotate through the circle the drive with your left leg the speed in terms of acceleration from the Middle Point on I could go on but I won't yeah there are just so many points that they're they seem so smaller insignificant but when you get them right and when they all come together it's like yeah there's no better feeling than a good throw yeah was it always the the shop boat for you yeah so I when I first got involved in Paris sport I competed in Javin discus and Shop Bo probably the one of the three or some of the three main throwing events but then as time went on as I kind of figured okay I want to commit more time to this I kind of figured that I need to commit more time to or my time to one event really and just figure out what I loved what I enjoyed what I was sort of good at I decided to pick shot it so yeah amazing and how did you find yourself competing in par Olympics and like para athletes how did you find yourself in this sport yeah so I first like growing up with a disability I loved sport loved being active loved being on the move but I didn't see at that moment I didn't see myself being in professional sport and I was like yeah okay I love sport but look I may have to pursue other things um but I suppose watching the London 2012 par Olympic on TV I saw what was possible for individuals like me and that it's not just okay yeah we'll give you a chance to compete in sport it's that competing in Fair sport at an elite level so it was very appealing to me um and then in terms of taking actions to get involved in sport myself I um yeah I got involved with IA Sport and so they not only work with people with um or um athletes or individuals who use wheelchairs they at the Grassroots level they work with individuals all uh types of physical disability so working with them from from Grassroots level up all the way to where I am today it's they were a great start and just kind of getting myself up and running with a technique with you know with all the pieces um so yeah I'm incredibly grateful to them and what does Sport mean to you uh jeez where do I start I know it sounds cheesy but genuinely um I do have a true passion for sport I genuinely enjoyed it even though it has given me or it is provided challenging moments as well it's not always straightforward it's not always roses and Rosie and stuff like that I have had some of my most incredible moments in my life through sport whether it's becoming a par Olympian at Tokyo or becoming a European bronze medalist um it has given me so much but it's also the memories the silly memories have had along the way that I still laugh about to this day the countries I've traveled to the people I've met and just countless memories really oh amazing and so now just over a month out from from the games what is training going to look like for the next couple of weeks will you have it I suppose a sort of a taper and downtime as well where you will sort of take some time off to rest yeah so um a lot of the time with my training it's not so much that I cut off training completely it's more that I reduce the volume and reduce the frequency of the training so because I'm not competing until September 7th that won't happen for another good while like I'm on the second last day of the Paralympics and we still have nearly a month to go before we go out and camp so it's um there's still a lot of time left but yeah a lot of planning has got into kind of how do we maximize the remaining weeks in terms of what we want to achieve what we want to refine and in terms of what performance I want to put on in Paris yeah and what are you looking forward to most is it getting out to the track is it the the atmosphere the supporters what is it for you I think just every aspect of it genuinely I think just even I remember at Tokyo um we were traveling up from the holding camp in Arisha to the Tokyo par Olympic Village or the athletes Village and we were driving along the motorway or whatever and in the distance my teammate and I saw the village and we're like yeah we've made it we're actually here like this like we're going to become Paro Olympians like this is this is not a joke this is not a dream and yeah I think just the small things like yeah small parts of the um experience that are incredible but also just being able to represent my country on this um stage at the highest level I'm very proud of it and just having my family there I think as well this time around being able to look out into the stands and see them or hear them yeah I'm very excited what has this meant to them to see you at this world stage you know being a par Olympian yeah I suppose they have been there as much as my coach is involved for so much of my training and so much of my Sporting Life like I live with my family so they see every aspect of it they see my highest of high and my low of lows and how hard I've worked to get to where I am today so they've been so incredibly supportive through all of this so I have I I'm so grateful to them really um so to have them involved in this whole process it's really F amazing Mar well the very best of Lu I can't wait to go along I'll be there so well get to see you in action thanks much