Seizing a golden opportunity

Costa move for British 2012 Olympic hero

Costa move for British Olympic hero Mark Colbourne MBE

OLYMPIC hero Mark Colbourne MBE plans to put down roots on the Costa Blanca after falling in love with the area - and help motivate other people to success.

The 49-year-old cyclist won gold at the 2012 London Paralympic Games after breaking his back in 2009; plunging 11m in an emergency landing while paragliding - but fought back to take the title and twice smash a world record in a single day, both in qualifying and in the final itself.

Now retired from athletics, he described winning gold and competing in the Games: “It was almost like the feelings of all those Christmas mornings, birthdays, Valentines Days, bank holidays... all rolled into one feeling of joyfulness.

“I knew it was only going to happen once, so I had to absorb every experience I could of every single hour of every single day of the 10 days.

“To go and deliver my perhistory formance as an athlete and to take in all the experiences London 2012 had to offer.”

Mark, who was in Jávea to speak to students at Xàbia International College, gave his all in the final and was rewarded with the letters ‘WR’ on the scoreboard for his second world record of the day in the C1 3km individual pursuit – almost catching his Japanese opponent.

“To break my own world record on the same day as I set it; it was just an unbelievable experience,” he said. “It totally encapsulated all my childhood dreams.

“At the same time, to represent my country at my home Games, was just a dream come true.”

Honour

In the aftermath, a post box outside the Post Office in the South Wales town of Tredegar was repainted gold in his honour. Mark’s mum was photographed alongside the repainted box and it was also an emotional time, he had lost his father to cancer seven months before the Games.

“Going back years, when I was 12, I always had fast legs and a big engine, natural speed and ability; my old dad said I didn’t have a ‘stop’ button.

“I didn’t know what that meant until I joined British Cycling. They test you beyond what is possible, the brain gives up before the body if you allow it to.”

And Mark said breaking his own world record was to rewrite books – almost a ‘Roger Bannister moment’, the runner who first completed a mile in under four minutes.

He is now in a second career as a public speaker, motivator, coach and trainer but does not miss the life on 'the hamster wheel' as a sales accounts manager. “I think I can use my skills to help other people.”

He added: “The success of London 2012 made me realise I have something different to offer people when they are trying to achieve their goals, aspirations and dreams in life.”

Mark’s training was funded by lottery cash in the UK – he attended a ceremony after the Games and met former prime minister Sir John Major – and his MBE was presented in 2013 by Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales.

He believes the climate on the Costa Blanca will help health problems in later years caused by his spinal injury and also allow him to pursue a career helping others.