Richard Whitehead: Paralympic sport is now on the same level as the Olympics

EXCLUSIVE
Gold medalist Richard Whitehead
Alexandre Loureiro/Getty Images
Rob Maul12 September 2016

Richard Whitehead believes the Paralympic movement has evolved to such a degree since London 2012 that British competitors now receive the same sporting recognition as their Olympic counterparts.

The double through-knee amputee sprinter retained his T42 200metre title last night in Rio with a signature performance, underlining his position as the pre-race favourite with a winning time of 23.39sec. South African teenager Ntando Mahlangu, 14, was second in 23.77 and Dave Henson, an ex-serviceman and close friend of Prince Harry, took bronze in 24.74.

Whitehead, 40, is one of the country’s longest-serving Paralympians. He has competed at summer and winter Games and has seen first-hand the competitive evolution of the individual Paralympic classes.

He said: “We are showing now that we are elite athletes. Britain have the best prepared team. We will be the best decorated away team. We have world-class athletes now who have developed over time.

“I’m inspired by people like Max Whitlock or Chris Hoy, who are experts in their field. Para sport is now on that same platform now. You look at David Weir’s performances at London 2012 and that, for me, was one of the great achievements in the history of sport.

“Paralympic sport is not about having a go any more. It’s about individuals earning the right to be on the track. You look how far the sport has come since Athens 2004. People now want to see Paralympic sport.”

Whitehead has intimated that Rio 2016 will be his last Paralympics. He has one more race to come, the T42 100m, which begins with heats on Wednesday.

Just like he did at the 2004 New York City Marathon and at London 2012, superstitious Whitehead wore the same lucky black pants for race day. He also dedicated his second Paralympic gold medal to his former friend Simon Mellows, who died of sarcoma in 2005.

In Pictures: Great Britain's medal run at Rio 2016 Paralympics

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Whitehead said: “You shouldn’t really get emotional in the heat of battle but over the last 50m so many things came to mind. It was because of those feelings at the end why my time was slower than usual. Every victory I use in a positive way. If people who are suffering from cancer find some positive from what I have done today, then all the better.”

Retired army captain Henson, who lost his legs in February 2011 when he stood on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan, made a point of acknowledging that he had won his first Paralympic medal on the anniversary of the September 11 atrocities.

“We have raced tonight on 9/11, which is a very poignant day, a day that changed the world, which changed my life forever,” he said. “You cannot emphasise how important that day is for the world.

“I was sat in the call room before the race and the number 454 came through my head — the number of servicemen lost in Afghanistan. So many personal friends. I am blessed by what has happened to me and hopefully people can see I’m not wasting my good fortune.”

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