24 July 2024
Four sporting champions share the secret of their success
3 minutes
Four sporting champions share the secret of their success at the Howden Private Client Olympic and Paralympic evening
‘Pig-headedness, dedication and stubborness’ are the qualities needed to realise the dream of becoming an Olympic or Paralympic champion, medallists told guests at Howden London head office.
Olympians Peter Wilson, EiIidh McIntyre and Tom Mitchell and Paralympian Jim Roberts shared the highs and lows of their sporting careers while inspiring the invited audience of Private Clients at the One Creechurch Place.
Hosted by Giles Morgan, Howden Head of Sponsorship, the conversations flowed easily in the run-up to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The extraordinary dedication to become the best in the world soon became apparent, although each Olympian and Paralympian was quick to acknowledge they would not have been able to achieve their goals alone, insisting that support teams – family, coaches, psychologists, dieticians and physiotherapists – were the key to their success.
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EiIidh, who took gold with Hannah Mills in the 470 sailing class at Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021 due to the pandemic), said she wanted to be a sailing Olympic gold medallist from the age of eight to repeat her father, Michael McIntyre’s gold medal in the Star class at Seoul 1988. She said: “Winning gold was the pinnacle of my career but the greatest privilege was that I got to work with psychologists. “Through them I learned a lot about myself, how to deal with challenges and how to thrive in that space. Everything I did was to win a gold medal, it was my life-time goal.” (Image: Elidh Macintyre and Hannah Mills winning gold in the 470 sailing class at Tokyo 2020.) |
Jim Roberts was a Welsh cross-country runner who lost both legs after contracting bacterial meningitis while an undergraduate at Coventry University. He fell into depression and had ‘all but given up on life’ but seeing his family’s despair made him turn a corner.
Jim said: “Once I began to respond to the hospital therapists’ advice they pushed me on. One rehab nurse suggested wheelchair rugby and that became my life.
“Bloody minded, pig-headed and stubborn are several of the words that people have used to describe me. I'm a great believer that you don't know what you can do until you put yourself in a situation.”
The Team GB Wheelchair Rugby team won their first Paralympic gold at Tokyo 2020, a 54-49 win over the USA with Jim scoring 24 tries.
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(Image: Rugy Sevens Paralympian Jim Roberts in action Credit GBWR.) |
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Rugby Sevens’ captain Tom Mitchell, 35, led his side at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. Great Britain finished fourth in Tokyo, losing to Argentina in the bronze medal match, while at Rio the team brought home silver, beaten by fan favourites Fiji. Tom said: “We were disappointed being beaten by Fiji, but the rest of the world celebrated the island’s first Olympic gold.” His team’s dedication impressed double gold medal-winning decathlete Daley Thompson, who watched them train in the run-up to Rio. Thompson said: “Nearly all of the squad could become big athletes with their combination of strength, speed, endurance and skill.” (Image: Rugby Sevens captain Tom Mitchell speaking about his Olympic experience.)
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Winning gold in London 2012 was the ‘best ever’ moment for Peter Wilson after spending years battered and bruised while practising for the Double Trap shooting event. After a low in 2007-2008, Peter was coached in the Middle East by Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum, who won gold in Athens. Peter said: “I trained two weeks on, one day off. I used to bleed quite a bit; my shoulder, my face, my hands. I told Ahmed ‘I just can't do this anymore’. Ahmed pulled up his T-shirt to show me his arm and his shoulder, they were black, he was bruised from the middle of his bicep to the middle of his chest. “From there was no going back – and this seems to be the defining thing that we all have in common, there’s a great stubbornness, a great will to win. All of the competition you see in the Olympics, has that commonality, we’re a bunch of stubborn sods.” Peter has been training Team GB’s Nathan Hales in the Olympic Trap ahead of Paris and Jim will be travelling to the City of Light to commentate for Channel 4 while Tom will be commentating on Eurosport as well as soaking up the atmosphere and watching some of the Games. (Image: Peter Wilson celebrates winning gold in the double trap at London 2012.) |
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EiIidh is no longer working within a competitive sport environment but now transfers many of her skills working for Middleton, advising private clients searching for country and coastal houses.
She said: “I received so much support while working towards my gold medal that I now love to help people, doing anything I can to support them – you become a part of their journey, building that connection and trust.”
Lives of the real Olympians and Paralympians: Read the four medallists’ full stories of pain and glory in the coming weeks during Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics from Friday, July 26 – September 8.