BLADE RUNNERS
Ahead of the Paralympics, athlete Jonnie Peacock sets about helping young amputees get on the track for sporting success. RACHAEL POPOW finds out more
THE games were delayed by a year, but we’re now only two weeks away from the Paralympics, which are due to begin on August 24, and as part of the build-up, Channel 4 is bringing us the new two-part documentary Jonnie’s Blade Camp.
It finds Jonnie Peacock helping five young amputees to discover their sporting potential.
He’s the perfect man for the job. Jonnie was just five when he contracted meningitis, which damaged the tissue in his right leg. The limb was subsequently amputated below the knee. Jonnie credits his family with helping him to fulfil his sporting dreams.
He’s previously said: “Both my mum and dad have been so supportive – they’ve never questioned my decisions or doubted that
I could do things.
Thanks in part to that early encouragement, Jonnie went on to claim the gold in the 100m T44 final at the 2012 Paralympics in London. He was awarded an MBE the following year. The athlete successfully defended his title in 2016, and is now hoping to make it a hat-trick after being selected for this year’s games.
Away from the track, he’s also competed in Strictly Come Dancing, becoming the first amputee Paralympian to compete on the show. He made it to Blackpool with his partner Oti Mabuse.
For his latest TV project though, Jonnie is focusing on the next generation.
When Jonnie’s Blade Camp was first announced, he said: “My own story and those of many Paralympians prove sport and an active lifestyle is possible regardless of disability.
“Giving disabled
My own story and those of many Paralympians prove sport and an active lifestyle is possible regardless of disability
youngsters the support and encouragement they need to stay active doesn’t just help them physically, it can potentially provide them with a life-changing sense of confidence and self-worth.”
Over the course of the documentary, the youngsters will take part in a year-long training camp, where Jonnie draws on state-of-theart technology, inspirational guest coaches and his own experiences to help the youngsters accomplish things they never thought possible.
He begins though by meeting the kids and asking them to set their own goals. Jonnie also prepares them to sprint their first 100 metres on their prosthetic blades.