With the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Regatta underway, you can follow the path to this paralympics with British Rowing’s set of three 30 minute videos, “The Road to Tokyo“, examining the rigours of elite training in the final run up to the biggest competition in the sport. Especially intriguing is Episode 2 which looks at the whole pandemic unfolding and its enormous impact on these athletes.
During the preliminary Olympics (ie. the warm-up Games to the Paralympic), I was gutted when I found out Glover and Swann missed out on the podium as the video highlighted their leaving the sport during this period – Glover to start lives (having twins) and Swann to save lives (as a junior doctor in the NHS).
Importantly, the series has equal coverage of the Para squad and the non-Para squad (and being a smaller group you get to hear from and see most of them). One excellent comment by Nick Fox to clubs (talking about BRIC): “It’s really important that the guys in the wider club system get the opportunity to race guys from the squad.” Here, here.