SELFLESS MCGRATH’S GOLDEN GESTURE
AUSTRALIAN paracanoe star Curtis Mcgrath rarely ever sees his gold medal.
He hasn’t held it in his hands in years.
That’s because the symbol of the former Australian Army combat engineer’s historic Rio achievement now takes pride of place at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra – where it belongs, he says.
“If it was at my house it would be sitting on a shelf collecting dust,” McGrath said. “Instead, people can read through my story, on how sport can help wounded servicemen and women and give them a purpose and sense of belonging and I hope that’s the message that resonates with people.”
Mcgrath, 33, took up canoeing after having his legs amputated as a result of an improvised explosive device blast while serving in Afghanistan in 2012.
Less than two years later he won his first world championship.
In 2016, now a four-time four- tim world champion, Mcgrath MCG became
Australia’s first paracanoe gold medallist when he won the KL2 in Rio.
“To get the result in Rio it meant so much not just to me but all the people that had supported me on that journey,” he said.
“For me it was a bit more than just going there and competing. I was doing it for so many people, to show that I was OK and able to get out there and do things.”
It’s why his Rio gold belongs to the Australian War Memorial, he says. As a beacon of hope for his fellow servicemen and women also injured while serving their country.
But Mcgrath’s Tokyo tilt is different. His motivations have changed.
The 10-time world champion is expected to win, and most of the preParalympics pressure he’s felt has been of his own creation.
And so Tokyo is time for Mcgrath to be “selfish”, he says. To win a gold medal for himself – one he can keep at home. Or two, even.
“These Games are probably a little more selfish for myself. I want to go there and win and prove it wasn’t a fluke or a unique performance,” he said. “I want to maintain and defend (my gold) and also I get the opportunity to do it twice, which I’ve done before at the world championships but the Paralympic stage is always a little more weighty.”
Mcgrath begins his gold medal defence in the KL2 200m heats on Thursday at 10.55am AEST, followed by the VL3 200m heats from 12.30pm.