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Road to 2012 - Transcript for Nathan Stephens Interview Cardiff 18.5.10
I'm Nathan Stephens, double Paralympian, competed in both winter and summer, competed in sledge
hockey in Turin 2006 and shot put, javelin and discus in Beijing 2008.
I’ve always been quite a sporty person, at the age of 6,7 to 8 I was well into my
rugby and football playing in the local team. But when I lost my legs at age 9, it felt
that it all got taken away from me then, it all happened so suddenly, and I thought I'd
never be able to take sport up again. I got myself back into sport with the help from
my parents, brother and all the friends I had in school, I just cracked on with life.
You've only got one life at the end of the day and you have to live it to its maximum.
0'50 The Sledge Hockey Team We made it to the Paralympics, which none
of us thought we'd ever do, we beat Italy the home nation in the final, which was 7th,
8th place final and I scored the winning goal, which was like 'yes thank you!' which topped
off my winter Olympics experience. I was only 17 and thought that was the biggest stage
I could ever possibly get to. After I got back from Turin I had the option to continue
with sledge hockey or convert to athletics full time, when I got told by my athletics
coach that you could be great at this if you put your mind to it, settle down to it, do
it full time, you can go all the way. 1'33 Going Solo
I found it hard to adapt, and when I went into athletics and you are an individual;
I'm used to having twenty guys around all having the same emotions. Anthony Hews Has
been my coach now for seven years, I've grown with him and he's grown with me, he's learnt
stuff off me that he didn't know before, we've grown together. Every step you take, they
take. Every down day you have, they have. Every good performance you celebrate, they
are going to celebrate it with you. There's got to be that relationship between you and
your coach, there's got to be that chemistry. You could almost say that we are best friends,
because if I've got a problem I know I can go to him and he will the first one to sort
it out. If I can tell my story and inspire other people
to do the same, inspire young disabled athletes to go out there and achieve their goals and
chase their dreams, then it's brilliant. 2'28 Beijing 2008
It never actually hit me that I had qualified for Beijing until I got to the stadium, got
to the opening ceremony and you're surrounded by 94000 people all screaming, you get into
that atmosphere into the zone, you're starstruck, you can’t believe you’ve actually made
it. It was a fantastic experience, one of the best experiences of my life.
Went out there to compete and finished fourth, I was in third medal place for a half of the
competition and the three big guys came out and knocked me back. I think it was a nice
step in the door, to say 'Look I’m here, you'd better watch out next time.'
Coming up now to London 2012 now with the GB athletes, we're doing this for Britain,
we're doing this for our nation. If we can all grasp that goal, come together as a team,
create that team moral that we all need, because at the end of the day, we're all going out
there as Great Britain, and we all want to win.
Not many people say they've competed in a home Olympics or Paralympics, but to come
home with the medal or to stay home with the medal, and keep it in Britain would be absolutely
fantastic. It would be the dream.