Blake misses medal as he battles on against the odds
World champion fourth despite season-best time Briton admits to ‘having struggled mentally’
A season’s best for Paul Blake in the T36 400 metres was not enough to earn a medal at the event in which he is Paralympic champion.
The lactic acid was kicking in and slowing his body in the final 50m after Blake attempted to chase down 21-year-old Australian James Turner.
“Fourth is not ideal, maybe I went off a little too quickly, my race plan went out of the window,” said a bitterly disappointed Blake. “It’s been a tough season, I’ve struggled a bit mentally, rebuilding from Rio. I’ll take some time out now and look to get ready again for Tokyo.”
Yet some athletes stories resonate regardless of the medals they do or do not win. Such is paralympism. Blake is such a case, his life redolent of the triumph of human spirit within a sporting movement which inspires, excites and educates. In truth, Blake’s journey through adversity to the start line of any race, was always going to be the greatest battle he would ever face in life. Medals matter not for such a powerful narrative.
Blake might have been seen as a child born with a silver spoon in his mouth – his mother, Kate, was a dancer with the Royal Ballet and his father, also called Paul, played a bounty hunter called Greedo in Star Wars who was shot by Han Solo – but rather being a privileged child, Blake instead was born a fighter, or at least had to be, when his twin, Alex, took all their mother’s blood in the womb.
It left him starved of nutrients and oxygen. It caused cerebral palsy which impacted painfully on much of his life. And while almost every athlete in the Paralympic world has a jaw-dropping backstory, his is an extraordinary tale. But little about Blake’s life has been humdrum. Even his grandfather played tennis at Wimbledon. “I was virtually dead at birth,” Blake said. He arrived in this world with so few red blood cells, he needed three infant transfusions. “He had renal failure, nor was he breathing,” explained his mother. “He spent two months in an incuba- tor and we were told he had little chance of pulling through. I literally had to feed him every meal in his first years and his legs were encased as they were so weak.” Fast forward 27 years and Blake, from Dorchester, has found his platform, becoming the world record holder in the 1500m, world champion at 400m and 800m and has three Paralympic medals, gold, silver, and bronze, to his name. His gold in the 400m in Rio was a moment to behold. Especially seeing his family and four siblings go wild in the stands. Much caipirhina was consumed over the next few days. But Blake’s progress is testament to deep self-belief, nurture and unending love.
Boy to man, he has never shirked a challenge. When he was at primary school, he earned the nickname ‘mini-barthez’ for his habit of throwing himself around in goal for his junior football team. His condition meant he was too weak to take the kicks; instead, his twin Alex, by then a stone heavier and a few inches taller, took them. They were a team. His junior side did not let in a single goal that season, and they won the league.
“His birth was horrendous: he had no blood, no oxygen but survived against all the odds. The doctors told us it was a miracle,” explains Kate, “The consultant told us that normally in these cases, both twins die. As a small boy, Paul couldn’t run or eat properly, and needed lots of physical help. Being an ex-dancer, I did lots of exercises with Paul to stimulate his arms and legs.” By the time he was in his teens, his legs strengthened and he began to run.
“What Paul has had to overcome physically, many people would never believe,” said Kate, here last night. So, too, twin Alex. “Paul is now the athlete,” he said. “I couldn’t get anywhere near him. I’m proud of him, whether he wins or loses. I’m his biggest fan.”
Meanwhile, Mohamed Alhammad from the UAE, won silver in men’s 200m T34 and immediately dedicated the victory to team-mate Abdullah Hayayei, who died in a training accident in London just before the championships started.