Cuts or no cuts, I am ready for my own piece of Rio magic
WHEN news came out last Friday that Rio 2016 was struggling with the Olympic budget and that they had started tapping into the Paralympic budget to make up the shortfall, it certainly raised a few eyebrows. And when I saw a couple of headlines questioning whether the Paralympic games would go ahead at all, that was obviously shocking. But the International Paralympic Committee has come out and said the Games will go ahead, albeit with big cuts. We will just have to wait and see what the extent of those cuts are. It’s going to be a bit of a guessing game until I am out in Rio next week. I just have to expect the unexpected and be prepared to be flexible around any issues where things are not running as smoothly. It’s not the sort of thing you want to be hearing a couple of weeks before the Games start. At the same time, though, I think they will find a way to make the Games work. I’m sure athletes will go to Rio and perform to the very best of their abilities and create many special moments like Team GB have done over the past two weeks, cuts or no cuts. I didn’t get to see much of the Olympics at the start of the Games but the past week I’ve been watching when I can in the evenings after training. It’s been amazing — success after success for Team GB. There’s been so many inspiring performances and it’s the perfect motivation for me before I head to Rio. I really enjoyed watching the Team GB hockey girls win gold. I do some of my training down in Bisham Abbey and the hockey team train there, too. I am used to seeing the girls in the gym so to see them on the television winning their gold medals was amazing. It was a little surreal, too. I normally see them working hard in the gym and seeing them in the middle of their own competition they looked different somehow. But they have done incredibly well and I am happy for them. I have enjoyed watching the cycling, the golf and the marathon on Sunday was amazing. The Hawkins brothers, Callum and Derek, train in the same gym as me in Glasgow. It was brilliant to see the best marathon runners in the world in action — and Callum was out in front leading before finishing ninth. That was incredible to watch. Of course, I also watched Andy Murray winning gold in the men’s singles tennis. It’s great to think I could be playing on that very same court. Do I allow myself to dream of following him by winning gold? It’s hard not to dream, especially when it’s been a goal for so long. Andy showed again what is possible when your mind is in the right place and you have such strong focus and determination. I will take inspiration from him. This is my third Paralympic Games and I think that experience will stand me in good stead. I was only 16 in Beijing 2008 and it was a nice surprise to qualify. There was no pressure and I could enjoy the experience of being at the Paralympic Games, which are like no other competition we take part in. For me, a teenager at the time who still lived at home, staying in the village with a lot of athletes in their late 20s was a new experience. Then at London 2012, I wasn’t expected to win a medal but I reached the quarter-finals of the singles and doubles. Hopefully that experience of winning matches and going a little further in the competition will help me in my third Paralympic Games, where there will be a little bit more pressure and expectation on my shoulders.