Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Paralympics
















This is my first true Paralympic experience. I managed to attend a couple of the swimming events in London four years ago to watch friends race, other than that I vaguely followed the remainder from afar. This year I am completely submerged, although admittedly I was left with little choice being in the thick of it out in Rio De Janeiro. There is a slightly different vibe to the Olympic Games, the levels of respect for athletes have heightened with the crowd appreciating every performance and the friendship between nations that much more noticeable.
I was in at the deep end with my new commentary role for swimming and wheelchair fencing. Having worked as ground announcer for Modern Pentathlon during the Olympics this is a little shock to the system. I know my own sport inside out, the athletes names and pronunciations, their back stories, the intricacies of the sport. On top of that there are only seventy two entries and just three days of competition, in the pool there can be that many competitors over just two events in a session that is packed with back to back races. The time spent on research almost equals the length of the sessions and that is only scratching the surface. I have been fortunate to have a commentating position over at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium, the atmosphere for the finals is electric. If a Brazilian swimmer even steps onto the pool deck in the heats the stands erupt with noise, no one can help but embrace the excitement.
The most challenging aspect of all has been comprehending the enormity of what these athletes can achieve. I am fortunate to have a couple of Paralympic friends from school whom I used to train alongside, so I know a few of the background snippets but nothing could have prepared me for this emotional rollercoaster. As a commentator my job is to share these incredible stories. It has challenged me to just remain composed when discovering the incredible journeys so many of these Paralympic champions have taken.