By George! He could become a Paralympic champion
LOUGHBOROUGH-BASED PARATRIATHLETE SAYS TOKYO GAMES CAN HELP UNITE WORLD AFTER COVID
PARALYMPICS postponement was tough to take for George Peasgood but the paratriathlete believes the Tokyo setback could be a positive in pursuit of Games glory, writes Ross Lawson of Sportsbeat.
The delayed Tokyo Games would mark Peasgood’s second shot at the Paralympics having been the youngest member of the paratriathlon team at Rio 2016, aged 20.
Five years on and the Loughborough-based athlete has new ambitions to harbour, goals that wouldn’t have been possible had the Games taken place at their proposed time.
“Heading towards Tokyo the first time, it would have been a good year for me,” said Peasgood, who is bidding to qualify for the PTS5 classification – for paratriathletes with a mild physical impairment – in Japan.
“But 2021 will be better than 2020 could have ever been.
“Things were in a good place and I was going there with the aim of a medal.
“But I really believe that winning is something I can achieve now.
“Twelve months ago, I might have said winning was possible without really believing in it – but now, I can really challenge and be up there in the race.
“I had a really good year of focusing on training, and it will be really interesting to see how things sit when competition restarts later this year.
“Running was the weakest part of my triathlon so we used 2020 to progress areas of that which have really made the difference, an opportunity we wouldn’t have had in a Paralympic year.
“It’s been quite enjoyable and a real positive year where I’ve been able to hit consistency and not worry about peaking for competitions or training camps.”
Nobody can predict what the Tokyo Games will look like but his previous experience is certainly a positive for Peasgood.
And having temporarily moved back home to Saffron Walden through parts of 2020, a chance to step back from the “Loughborough bubble” has brought with it a chance to reflect on what’s gone before. Rio 2016 was an experience like no other for the 25-year-old – with the everlasting memories ensuring that a trip to Japan would be worth the wait. He added: “Five years ago, Rio was a learning experience.
“It was only in 2016 itself that it became a Games I could go to so there was never any huge expectations on myself heading there. “Now, being a completely different athlete with a new mindset, the way I’m training and performing makes me far more elite than I was back then.
“I’m going as a grown-up as opposed to the 20-year-old I was then. It will be odd going there five years on from Rio. “Knowing what it’s going to be like will be a big advantage for me. “The Paralympic Games are unlike anything else.
“The media, the support, the atmosphere are all completely different so it’s nice having that knowledge of a first Games to fall back on.”
But what of the Games themselves?
Many questions are still to be answered when it comes to logistics, most notably surrounding whether fans will be in attendance in stadia and on roadside.
Whatever happens during the coming year, Peasgood knows Tokyo 2020 will be a powerful moment – not just in sport, but in bringing the world together.
“Tokyo has the power to show what everyone in the world can achieve,” he added.
“It would be the first massive multi-sport event since the pandemic started and it would be such a big show, to bring everyone together in this powerful unity.
“It’ll certainly be something to smile about when we get to Tokyo.”
George Peasgood is part of the British Triathlon performance programme which is supported by UK Sport and the National Lottery. View his profile at:
I was going there with the aim of a medal but winning is something I can achieve now
George Peasgood, above