Tokyo 2020 Paralympics: David Weir sounds warning over future of wheelchair racing
David Weir brought the curtain down on his track career in Tokyo but is not sure he’ll leave the sport in a better shape than he found it
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.David Weir wants more depth in Paralympic wheelchair racing, claiming the sport is in danger of stagnating.
The six-time Paralympic champion made his Games debut as a teenager in Atlanta and brought the curtain down on his track career with a last place finish in a dramatic T54 1,500m final, which saw the top six all dip under the world record time.
However, Weir – who competes in this weekend’s marathon and plans to continue racing on the road – is not sure he’ll leave the sport in a better shape than he found it.
“I think the International Paralympic Committee needs to step their game up a little bit,” he said. “I just feel some things need to change.
“I just don’t see them moving forward or it’s not moving forward quickly enough. I just feel like they need to get more athletes on board, they are setting their standards so ridiculously high that their athletes can’t qualify.
“We want the sport to grow. We’ve had two heats for everything here, usually we have three heats or four heats and then the final.
“I just feel the numbers are going down in classifications because they’re under pressure. They’ve got so many events and they can’t fit everything in but people want to see heats, semis and finals and we need that strength in depth.
“I really enjoy the marathon, the marathon circuit seems to be the next level compared to wheelchair racing on the track. I think it is not stepping forward in my eyes, I just feel that a lot of the racers enjoy the road racing because they feel like they’re elite athletes and get treated the same.”
Weir, 42, might be in the twilight of his career but don’t expect him to stop using his platform as one of Britain’s most high-profile Paralympians.
For years he has dominated his domestic rivals but he took satisfaction from Daniel Sidbury’s sixth place in a new British record, in a time that would have won every previous Paralympic final.
“I’ve been reflecting on my career but it’s only in the last couple of years that I started looking at myself and seeing what I’ve done,” he added.
“My aim was to carry on racing until British wheelchair racing was at its peak again, because I always felt the pressure was on me to win medals all the time for wheelchair racing.
“Danny’s come on so much in the last two years because he’s studied racing and mastered it. It’s just a pleasure to have another Brit in the final because I’ve never had that.”
In a thrilling close quarters final, Weir came close to a spectacular crash as the tightly-bunched field rounded the final corner and headed down the straight. It was an initiation on what is needed for Sidbury, competing at his first Games aged 25.
“It was chaotic, it didn’t feel super-fast but that was probably because everyone was going so fast,” he said.
“There were some bottom clenching moments, David Weir went up on one wheel and almost took out half the field but it was just really good fun.
“I wanted the opportunity to rest against the best in the world. I’ll have a word with my coach, she’ll know what needs to be done, I know what hard work it takes to get here. I know much more work it’s going to take to challenge for podiums.”
Meanwhile, Weir will now refocus his sights on Sunday’s marathon, an event he won at London 2012 but looks at the mercy of the unstoppable “Silver Bullet” Marcel Hug, who claimed his second gold of the Games with a 1,500m success.
“It’s not a course that suits my style of racing, I like a technical course because I don’t train on nice smooth road, I’m always twisting and turning, that’s why I do so well in places like London and New York,” said Weir. “We’ll see on the day but I’ve trained really well for the marathon, it’s going to be a tough one.”
Sainsbury’s is a proud supporter of ParalympicsGB and a champion of inclusive sport for all. Sainsbury’s commitment to helping customers to eat better has been at the heart of what we do since 1869. For more information on Sainsbury’s visit www.sainsburys.co.uk/ and https://paralympics.org.uk/
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments