Nelson eyes Tokyo Paralympics
Timaru hand cyclist Jono Nelson remains passionate about representing New Zealand at the Paralympics.
Nelson has been inspired by New Zealand Paralympian performances in Rio.
The 32-year-old hand cyclist has put in a place a four year plan to get him to Japan.
Nelson missed selection for Rio but hasn’t let that concern him.
‘‘I watched heaps, there were plenty of sleepness nights.’’
He is using it for motivation to make the team to Tokyo.
‘‘My coach John Rich and I have come up with a plan that will see me advance every year in the world standings.’’
Nelson said he would need to increase his speed by 3 to 4kmh over the time trial to break into the world’s top 10.
‘‘The top guys are doing around 40khm and to do that I need more hard, international experience.’’
Nelson plans to head to the Redlands Classic in California as the first step.
‘‘There is a weeks racing and I hope to tie it in with other events to make it worthwhile, but the international calendar isn’t out yet.’’
Nelson is ranked 27th in the world at the moment and hopes to gradually improve.
‘‘The year before I was ranked 40th, so I’m working my way up.’’
His goal for 2017 is to qualify for the world championships.
Born with spina bifida Nelson has been in a wheelchair all his life.
He took up wheelchair racing first until major health issues at 24 put a stop to that.
Gaining weight Nelson then switched to paracycling at which he has excelled, without any complications.
Nelson’s first step to fundraising is his new campaign is ‘Jono’s Road To Success’
It is a dinner that will feature Ben Lucas, who was the chef de mission of the New Zealand Paralympic team, as the speaker.
The pair have a along association with the chef de mission one of Nelson’s former wheelchair racing coaches.
Lucas was paralysed following a motorbike accident aged 24, but continued to pursue his lifelong passion for sport and started competing in wheelchair racing.
With a fiercely competitive nature he quickly progressed, winning a bronze medal in the marathon at the 1994 Commonwealth Games before appearing at the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games, where he was given the honour as flagbearer and captain of the New Zealand team at both games.
Nelson said Lucas would give a great insight into the Paralympics.
‘‘Ben will be a very interesting speaker.’’ Tickets to the October 7 event are $50 and available from the Speight’s Ale House or by emailing Nelson at jononelson@hotmail.co.nz .
Nelson said he was self funded at the moment, with some personal sponsors.
‘‘But if I make the top 10 I would be eligible for a high performance grant, which would be great.’’
Technology also plays a part, with new carbon fibre bikes getting better and better, he said.
‘‘That depends on how deep your pockets are but I am fine at the moment.’’
Nelson’s first big outing of the season will be to tackle the K1 Cycle Challenge in the Coromandel, a 100km race that he expects to complete in around five hours.