KING DAVID’S GOLD STANDARD
‘The Weirwolf’ is now happy to look back on glittering career with pride
DAVID WEIR was one in a bullion on the track, but as he scooped a lifetime achievement gong he admitted: “London 2012 took over my life.”
Britain’s six-time Paralympic gold medallist collected a special accolade at the Mirror’s Pride of Sport awards, in partnership with TSB, at London’s Grosvenor House hotel.
‘The Weirwolf’ was given an ovation for his contribution to the Paralympic movement and elite disability sport.
“It means a lot to be recognised like this because, to be honest, I was quite selfish back in the day,” he said. “Before Beijing in 2008, I didn’t really care where my sport was heading in the future.
“I was only interested in myself until I took five minutes to reflect, in a tent by the track, that we had only seven wheelchair racers where other nations were coming in with 15, 20 or more.
“Suddenly it dawned on me – I’m not going to be here for ever, this is my chance to make a difference.
“I wasn’t very well at the time, but I thought, ‘If I don’t deliver the goods here, who’s going to deliver them for Britain in the future?’ It was like a light-bulb moment.” Weir delivered the goods in Beijing – winning two middle-distance titles – and cleaned up with four gold medals on home soil at London 2012 four years later.
He has since battled depression and was stopped by police on the M6 in Cumbria late at night after his family had raised the alarm when his mobile phone had remained switched off for hours. In fact, he was heading to Scotland, intending to catch a ferry to visit his father in Northern Ireland. But Weir had fallen into a dark place since he returned from last year’s Rio games without a medal, his eating was haphazard as he struggled to cope with the disappointment. The four golds he had won in London – over distances ranging from 800m to 26 miles in the T54 class – became a burden as well as the peak of his racing career.
But he was in good form when he collected his award from former Arsenal and England stars David Seaman and Sol Campbell (above).
“London 2012 took over my life,” said Weir. “Afterwards, it became a battle when everyone expected you just to turn up and win, but now I can look back and enjoy what I achieved.”