Flying the flag as a para athlete

Rising to the occasion at the World Para Athletics Champs in Paris this month will have a huge impact on driving para athletics forward, writes Thomas Young

It’s wonderful to be making preparations for another championships summer. From a personal point of view, I’m desperate to make up for lost time after missing the Commonwealth Games last year through injury and having a World Para Athletics Championships on the horizon for the first time since 2019 is very significant.

The fact they are taking place in Paris, host city for next year’s Paralympics, only heightens the excitement levels.

Though it will be a different competition venue, to be able to get the lay of the land – from transport systems through to where to get good coffee – and work the city out in advance is going to be massively helpful.

As I mentioned, the pandemic has meant we haven’t had a World Championships for four years now and this staging is the start of a crucial time for para sport.

The Paralympics always feels like the time when we can really make inroads into the public consciousness and to spread awareness of our brilliant athletes, so this summer presents a brilliant chance to get an early start on doing that!

I remember going around the country just after I won my 100m T38 Paralympic gold in Tokyo and people would stop me and ask “Are you Thomas Young?”  It’s two years later and not so many people are doing it now.

Hopefully I can produce more of those big moments and do something worthy of getting people’s attention again. Winning double gold would certainly help to build greater awareness of my achievements and to start building a legacy in para sport.

Paris will be very close to a home Games. I won my Tokyo gold behind closed doors and after missing out last year, I cannot wait to go for gold in front of a crowd.

Since I’ve been involved in para athletics I do think things have moved on but I think the No.1 item on many para athletes’ wish list would be the chance to compete at a high level more often.

There are undoubtedly more competition opportunities outside of the championships and the most high profile of those have come at the British Diamond Leagues in London, Gateshead and Birmingham, plus there are medal events at the British Championships every year, so progress is being made.

I recognise World Athletics and the IPC are different federations but what I’d like to see is World Athletics and the IPC having more…