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The bulk of Australia’s Paralympic Team has taken up residence at the Paralympic Village in the Harumi waterfront district of Tokyo, ready for the start of a Games that has tested the athletes’ resolve unlike any before.
Of the 179 Para-athletes who will represent Australia across the 12 days of competition at Tokyo 2020, more than 160 have moved into the Australian allotment, including 12 Para-cyclists who are based in out-of-village accommodation near the velodrome and road cycling venue.
The Para-canoe squad, the Para-shooting squad, Para-badminton duo, a Taekwondo competitor and a handful of track and field athletes due to compete later in the schedule are the only remaining athletes yet to arrive.
The majority of the nation’s elite Para-athletes touched down in Tokyo on two Qantas charter flights, from Melbourne on Thursday and from Sydney on Saturday.
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Among the fired-up Australians itching to make a big impact is wheelchair basketball star Tristan Knowles, who will take part in his fifth Paralympic Games.
“If anything the joy and privilege of being able to pull on a green and gold singlet gets greater and greater,” said Knowles, whose campaigns with the Rollers earned gold in 2008, silver in 2004 and 2012, and sixth place in 2016.
“To be here for a fifth time and to see the condition of all the guys, I feel really upbeat and we’ve got really high expectations of ourselves, particularly after the way we finished in Rio. We’re excited to get started.” The Rollers are among a swathe of Australian medal chances at the Games, where the nation’s top Paralympians will aim to maintain or better Australia’s top five placing at each of the past six Paralympic Games.’
“When the second lockdown happened in Melbourne [due to Covid], we knew it was going to be a long time,” Knowles said. “I had to make a conscious decision and be honest with myself about how I was going to approach that and I just went all in. I’m probably the lightest I’ve been since I was 24 or 25 and that’s a common theme across the whole team.
“We’re the fastest and fittest our group of 12 has ever been. It says to me that the guys are hungry because you only get into that sort of condition by doing a whole lot of work when no one’s watching. We’re pumped.”
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Another Australian gold medallist preparing to create a splash at Tokyo is Para-swimmer Tiffany Thomas Kane, who will aim to defend the 100 metres breaststroke SB6 crown she claimed at Rio 2016 Paralympics.
“It feels good to be here in the Village,” Thomas Kane said. “It’s been a long five years, a really long wait. It’s exciting seeing all our Team here and also seeing the athletes from other countries.
“It brings back a lot of memories from Rio – the Village life, the athletes from all over the world, just working out where everything is, how to get around here. It’s just a really good time for all of us.”
The Tokyo Paralympics Games get underway from the 24 August and will run through until 5 September. Catch all the action on Seven and 7Plus.
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By: David Sygall, Paralympics Australia
Posted: 22 August 2021
