麻豆官网首页入口

Downloaded from www.bbc.co.uk/radio4

听

THE ATTACHED TRANSCRIPT WAS TYPED FROM A RECORDING AND NOT COPIED FROM AN ORIGINAL SCRIPT.听 BECAUSE OF THE RISK OF MISHEARING AND THE DIFFICULTY IN SOME CASES OF IDENTIFYING INDIVIDUAL SPEAKERS, THE 麻豆官网首页入口 CANNOT VOUCH FOR ITS COMPLETE ACCURACY.

听

听

IN TOUCH 鈥� A Paralympics Special

TX:听 27.07.2021听 2040-2100

PRESENTER:听 听听听听听听听 PETER WHITE

听

PRODUCER:听 听听听听听听听听听 BETH HEMMINGS

听

听

White

Good evening.听 Now back in 1948 a small group of recently spinally injured men and women held what amounted to a small sports day at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.听 Simply regarded as rehabilitation for their injuries.听 And the idea of an 80,000 crowd at a purpose-built stadium, cheering on disabled athletes would have seemed incredible.听 And yet, that little sports day was the starting point of what is now rated the third biggest sporting event in the world.听 Can鈥檛 think what the other two are.

听

Okay, history lesson over because today, with the Tokyo Paralympics just under a month away, we want to see how this event, in Tokyo, which, of course, some people believed would never happen, can live up to the reputation the Paralympics has built up.听 Because we鈥檙e In Touch we鈥檙e looking at it particularly from the standpoint of blind and partially sighted athletes.听 We have two of those with us, plus the woman who鈥檚 in overall charge of the Paralympics Team GB 鈥� matron, I suppose you might call her 鈥� and a blind broadcaster who鈥檒l be bringing us all the Paralympic news from Tokyo.

听

I鈥檒l let you all introduce yourselves if I may, starting with the woman who鈥檚 hoping to bring back a medal in one of the toughest Paralympic events 鈥� the Triathlon.

听

Peasgood

I鈥檓 Alison Peasgood and I鈥檓 a visually impaired para-triathlete.听 Having won two world titles and a Paralympic silver medal.

听

White

I hoped you wouldn鈥檛 be too modest to mention all that.听 Now visually impaired athletes have a fine reputation in the sport of judo, we鈥檙e sending four judoka 鈥� and that鈥檚 the proper plural, I think, to Tokyo 鈥� so let鈥檚 welcome one of them.

听

Stewart

My name鈥檚 Elliot Stewart.听 I鈥檓 an under 90 kilo visually impaired judoka 鈥� I鈥檓 very impressed with that, not many people say that 鈥� and I am number four in the world.

听

White

Now, hoping she鈥檚 forgiven me for calling her matron, let鈥檚 hear from the person whose role is to watch over those two and the rest of the Paralympics GB Team.

听

Briscoe

Hi, Penny Briscoe.听 I鈥檓 obviously chef de mission for Paralympics GB.听 I have the honour of not being a matron but rather leading the team at the Games.听 Tokyo will be my 11th global games, fourth as Chef de Mission.

听

White

And were there times when you thought this wouldn鈥檛 actually take place?

听

Briscoe

I mean I think it鈥檚 been a tough 16 months, it鈥檚 been a rollercoaster but I think our focus, just like the athletes, has been on working on the basis the Games were going ahead until somebody told us that they weren鈥檛.听 So, no, we鈥檝e been keeping a positive, if pragmatic, mindset that organisers 鈥� the Japanese government, the IOC and the IPC 鈥� were doing as much as they humanly could to ensure that the sort of festival of sport, that the Olympics and the Paralympics are, would go ahead for the athletes.

听

White

And finally for the introductions, assuming that it does go ahead, the man who鈥檒l bringing In Touch news of how our visually impaired athletes are doing and a voice well-known to In Touch listeners.

听

Djazmi

Hello Peter, great to be back on the programme.听 I鈥檓 Mani Djazmi and three weeks today I鈥檒l be masking up and flying off to Tokyo where I鈥檒l find 鈥� well who knows 鈥� but hopefully some sport.听 This will be my third Paralympics and so far, my Paralympic medals record is zero gold, zero silver and zero bronze.

听

White

But probably a gold for broadcasting talent.听 Anyway, to prove that we鈥檝e asked you for a run down of who, in addition to Alison and Elliot, we should be looking out for as real medal hopes.

听

Djazmi

Twenty-one blind and partially sighted athletes will represent Britain in Tokyo, the biggest contingent coming from cycling.听 All the cyclists ride a tandem with a sighted pilot steering round at breakneck speeds.听 It鈥檚 about 40 kilometres an hour around corners, in case you鈥檙e wondering.听 In 2016, Lora Turnham won the individual pursuit gold in the velodrome.听 To defend it will mean going into uncharted territory for her.

听

Fachie

It鈥檚 something I鈥檝e not actually managed to achieve yet.听 All my sort of world titles I鈥檝e won I鈥檝e never successfully defended, so I don鈥檛 have a lot of history of success on that front but I鈥檓 definitely hopeful and we鈥檝e been doing a lot of work on it.听 So, fingers crossed it all goes to plan and I finally do something I鈥檝e not done before.

听

Djazmi

Turnham is now Lora Fachie, after marrying fellow visually impaired para-cyclist Neil Fachie.听 He鈥檒l be in Tokyo too and says he鈥檒l have to break his own world record to win back the one-kilometre title he lost in 2016.听 As if that鈥檚 not pressure enough, in Tokyo, as in Rio, Lora and Neil鈥檚 track races will be on the same day, in fact they鈥檒l be just a few minutes apart.

听

Fachie

I鈥檓 aware of what he鈥檚 doing, that day, but my focus is my race and his focus is his race.听

听

Neil Fachie

We do care what the other one鈥檚 doing, of course, but I don鈥檛 really want to use the word selfish but I think there is that element to it, where you can just shut it off, do what you need to do and then I鈥檒l deal with that later.

听

Fachie

In Rio I had actually told my coach 鈥� just tell me how he鈥檚 done but that鈥檚 it, I don鈥檛 need to know anything else.听 My coach, Dan, was a bit nervous of telling me that they hadn鈥檛 won, in case it kind of derailed me but I just turned round to him and was like 鈥� well, it鈥檚 up to me to win the medal in the Fachie household then isn鈥檛 it.

听

Djazmi

Lora goes into the Games having won gold in the time trial last month at the road cycling world championship.听 But the pair that鈥檚 taking para-cycling by storm is Sophie Unwin and her pilot, Jenny Holl.听 A year ago Sophie had never ridden a tandem, she still hasn鈥檛 ridden one on the track but after just two races, they became world champions in June.听 Also, look out for the name of Steve Bate, a serial gold medallist who鈥檒l be stalking success once more.听

听

There鈥檒l be a trio of visually impaired swimmers representing Britain in Tokyo.听 Arguably the one who鈥檚 most in form is Stephen Clegg.听 He broke the world record for the butterfly 100 metres by nearly a whole second in April.听 The record had stood for eight years.听 His sister is Libby Clegg, who鈥檒l try to defend her 200 metres gold medal in athletics.听 In that sport, javelin thrower Dan Pembroke was denied a chance to compete at the Olympics by an elbow injury but after his sight deterioration he now qualifies for the Paralympics and has been described by British Athletics as being Paralympic podium potential level, no pressure!

听

But just because you鈥檙e fancied doesn鈥檛 mean you鈥檒l win, as Neil Fachie found out at the 2016 Games.

听

Neil Fachie

Five years ago I came away with a silver in Rio.听 I went in as overwhelming favourite to win, so it was hugely disappointing.听 As much as we love doing it for winning, that fear of losing is pretty strong in most of us athletes as well and I don鈥檛 want to be in that position again.

听

White

That report by Mani Djazmi.听 Stay with us Mani, we鈥檒l come back to you but let鈥檚, first of all, find out some more about our two guests.听 Alison Peasgood, why triathlon 鈥� I mean it sounds incredibly gruelling, how did you get into it in the first place?

听

Peasgood

I was originally a runner at university, missed out in Beijing Paralympics and kind of lost my focus and focused on university and qualifying as a physiotherapist.听 And when I watched London, just the excitement around the Paralympics, it made me want to be part of Paralympic sport again.听 And, to be honest, like getting on the tandem, like I鈥檝e always been a runner and I love running, but getting on the tandem and going fast, nothing beats that feeling.

听

White

And I think, for you, the triathlon is a real sort of family affair, isn鈥檛 it?

听

Peasgood

Yeah.听 Yeah, so obviously my husband, he was a guide for the visually impaired athletes prior to Rio and then, obviously, his brother is a para-triathlete and a para-cyclist.

听

White

Let鈥檚 bring in Elliot Stewart because judo is a family affair for you too, isn鈥檛 it?

听

Stewart

Yes, yes, it is.听 I was born in 1988 and that was the same year that my dad won a bronze medal in the Seoul Olympic Games.听 So, yeah, I was pretty much born into judo and I鈥檝e been training hard ever since.

听

White

And I think you and your brother, Max, you鈥檙e both involved with a club in Birmingham, which is intended to encourage other blind and partially sighted people to give judo a go.

听

Stewart

Yeah exactly.听 We continue to plug that my dad had been an athlete and retired from judo.听 And then me and my little brother, Max 鈥� well I say little brother, he鈥檚 bigger than me now but we carried on the club and we always had the Olympics and Paralympics on the same level.听 So, we鈥檝e always introduced people that are welcome from Paralympics and able-bodied, so all into our club, so yeah, yeah, we run a club that鈥檚 catering to everybody.

听

White

I mean you fought as a sighted judoka and as a visually impaired judoka and I鈥檓 interested to know how you would compare them.

听

Stewart

You see, at first, when I was a sighted player, I didn鈥檛 really see the difference but now doing both and losing my vision and then moving over to the para side of things, there鈥檚 a massive.听 As in, when you鈥檙e a para-judoka you start on the grip 鈥� so you鈥檙e holding on to your opponent all the time 鈥� so a lot of the stamina and the strength of the competition comes from your upper body and your forearms, whereas in your sighted judoka it鈥檚 a lot more about moving and gripping and ripping off grips and avoiding your partner.听 So, there鈥檚 been a lot of adaptations.听 But being on the mat for the first time, I鈥檒l never ever forget just that overwhelming respect for people that are visually impaired and have lost their vision that are out there doing any sport, not just judo, doing any sport.听 They are true heroes to the Paras.

听

White

A question to both of you, perhaps starting with Alison, I鈥檓 just wondering how much the constant uncertainty about when and if these Games would take place, how much problems that caused you in terms of the training and was the extra year, you know, beneficial?

听

Peasgood

I don鈥檛 know, it鈥檚 been 鈥� it鈥檚 definitely been a tricky time and I鈥檝e had ups and then I鈥檝e had downs with it.听 But as athletes we have to learn to adapt.听 I鈥檝e certainly had a lot of things 鈥� injuries and illness in the past 鈥� where you鈥檝e just kind of got to adapt what you鈥檙e doing and move forward.听 And you always just had to focus on the Games happening and always having that in your head that that was still what you were working towards.听 But I actually set myself like little goals throughout last year, so that I kept on achieving something, so you didn鈥檛 sort of lose focus in what you were doing.

听

White

Because there鈥檚 always this thing about your peak and you being at your peak and I just wondered if 鈥� well are you more at your peak now than you would have been in 2020?

听

Peasgood

I don鈥檛 really know, I actually came off the back of 2019, I鈥檇 had a virus myself and that had led to a problem with my heart and I actually didn鈥檛 know what to expect going into 2020, whether I was going to be at the right sort of fitness level.听 So, it has given me an extra year to just keep getting stronger, so it鈥檚 probably no bad thing.

听

White

And Elliot, what about you?

听

Stewart

You know what, the pandemic鈥檚 been horrible and the extra year and people not knowing, like last year if the Games were going to be on or not, it鈥檚 been dreadful but, like I said before, para-athletes especially, we鈥檙e used to adapting.听 Like Alison just said she adapted and that鈥檚 what we do and we adapted.听 And I think the extra year has 鈥� taken it as a bonus, it鈥檚 given me an extra 12 months to fine tune, to iron out those little details, to look over my opponents, to have a few more contests under the belt, to have that extra year at being a para-athlete for me.听 And then going in stronger than last year I suppose.

听

White

Let me bring Penny Briscoe back in.听 I mean just explain some of the measures that are going to have to be taken to keep people safe and I鈥檓 thinking particularly of people who are visually impaired athletes, given the importance of contact and touch in the things that we do.

听

Briscoe

Yeah, I mean I think it鈥檚 important to, I guess, recognise that a lot of the measures that will be in place in Tokyo are exactly the same measures that the athletes have had incorporated, if you like, into their daily training environment over the last 16 months.听 And I think that from a visually impaired or blind athlete perspective that the key mitigations, first and foremost, is making sure that all the information is accessible, either on the athletes鈥� phones or whatever it is that they use, so that sort of the environment鈥檚 brought to life, if you like.听 I think familiarity is absolutely critical, in terms of ensuring that they know their way around, both our Paralympics GB team environment but also getting to the dining hall safely, getting to the transport mall safely, those kinds of things.听 And then, obviously, ensuring the sort of like mitigations in place for guides and support personnel as well.

听

White

And there was a time, wasn鈥檛 there, when people who use a guide when they run were actually being told they couldn鈥檛 do it, I鈥檓 not sure how true that was in the actual real athletics world.听 Alison, how much a problem was it and is it?

听

Peasgood

I鈥檓 not going to lie, it was huge for me.听 Like I rely 鈥� some athletes don鈥檛 鈥� I rely on a guide to run every run session with me, to take me out on the tandem, even just to get about.听 And so, during the height of the pandemic you weren鈥檛 allowed to do anything with anyone other than your household.听 Fortunate for me, happen to marry someone who can swim, bike and run as a guide but it did mean 鈥� it meant I couldn鈥檛 do anything with anybody else, you couldn鈥檛 do it with your racing guide or the training guide that I was normally doing things with.听 So, for me it was a level of independence being taken away again.

听

White

Let me just bring in Mani, quickly, as a reporter, you鈥檝e been, as you say, to a couple of the previous Games but for this year, a lot of the elements that bring excitement to the Games, crowds and all that, are going to be very different, I鈥檓 just wondering what difference do you think this might have, perhaps particularly for visually impaired athletes?

听

Djazmi

Well yeah, I mean that鈥檚 something I鈥檝e thought a lot about myself because on the one hand, crowds in sports like swimming and athletics push the performers on.听 But, on the other hand, for visually impaired athletes who have guides it might make communication a bit clearer.听 And I wonder if that鈥檚 鈥� I mean I鈥檝e never done any of that before but I wonder if that might actually improve their performances.

听

White

Well, I was wondering that actually whether the crowds, you know, because I just wonder, Alison, how difficult it is to know exactly what鈥檚 going on, if you depend quite a lot on sound.

听

Peasgood

I don鈥檛 know, you鈥檝e obviously never met my guide, Nicky, but she can always make herself be heard, no matter how noisy.听 And actually, like a crowd does still life you.听 But I know when I鈥檓 training, for example, in the gym, I don鈥檛 want like any music on, I want it to be quiet so I can focus.听 So, yeah, like it鈥檚 kind of mixed of both really.

听

White

So, it could be an advantage.听 And Elliot, I mean I think you and other judokas you sound quite a lot.

听

Stewart

Yeah, yeah we do.听 When we鈥檙e competing on the mat our coach would be in the coaching box, so he will always relay how long is left of the contest, which is always a critical part of most of our fight plan.听 So, yeah, not having a crowd has its ups and downs, has its pros and cons but yeah, so taking the best from it, like yeah, I鈥檒l be able to hear my coach a lot clearer and get that information across a lot quicker.

听

White

Penny Briscoe, just quickly before we go, looking ahead there鈥檚 a scheme, I think, called From Home to the Games that you鈥檙e involved with to find the Paralympians of the future because in Paralympics sport people can rise to the top quite quickly.听 Can you just say just a few words about that and how visually impaired people might get involved in it?

听

Briscoe

Yeah, it鈥檚 a system wide talent identification campaign and I think previous campaigns that we鈥檝e been involved with have attracted thousands, literally, of applications both across Olympic and Paralympic sport.听 So, sign up for free.听 It鈥檚 available to anyone between 15 and 35 who鈥檚 got an eligible impairment and the list of impairments is on the frequently asked questions page.听 There鈥檚 a series of tests that the applicants can submit.听 And I just really, really, really encourage anyone that鈥檚 interested in para-sport, find out whether you鈥檝e got an eligible impairment and do really give it a go, it鈥檚 a fantastic movement to be involved with.听 I think it鈥檚 a great opportunity and what a time to be involved in para-sport.

听

White

Thanks for telling us all about that and we would also urge people to take part.听 All I can add now is to wish the whole of the Paralympics GB team, especially Alison and Elliot, the very best of luck.听 Alison Peasgood, Elliot Stewart, Penny Briscoe and Mani Djazmi, thank you all very much indeed.

听

That鈥檚 it for today.听 You can email with your queries and comments intouch@bbc.co.uk or visit bbc.co.uk/intouch from where you can download tonight鈥檚 and previous programmes.

听

From me, Peter White, producer Beth Hemmings and studio managers Jonathan Esp and Sue Stonestreet.听 Goodbye.

听

听