Broom-Edwards wins silver to prove the benefit of self-therapy

Briton’s medical role helps him to manage condition Polish rival spoils hopes of victory for third time

could, in theory, Fosbury Flop over world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua with 17cm to spare.

Being a role model is important to this standout British athlete. “I became a therapist because I wanted to manage my own condition so that is what I do part-time alongside my training.

“It is quite nice, I am getting a lot of people through my website with talipes contacting me about how to manage it because I manage it quite well.

“I have build-ups in my shoes, I have athletic control through the clinic I work at, Cione Wellness. That is what allows me to train without pain.

“If it wasn’t for the fact I have all these I would look a lot worse.

“Through the development years of my life, I have been able to have the right levels of control.

“But it is important – not every disability is that obvious. Some of the cerebral palsy athletes – you can’t tell until the lactic kicks in.

“Just because people are blase it does not mean it is not there and does not mean they are not dealing with it.”

And the flying licence? “That will be when I’m free of the training. Maybe after Tokyo I’ll go back to that. I was very close to having the Private Pilot’s Licence before I started aeronautical engineering, but it will come.”

The crowd, said Broom-Edwards, had inspired him. “It was unreal, just unreal. That’s not even the fullest it’s been, but the roar of the crowd, even when I was being introduced, was the best. I don’t think it will be matched.”