Jaryd
Clifford

When Jaryd Clifford made his Paralympic debut as a fresh-faced 17-year-old at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, no one could have predicted that he would be the man to beat at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

There is no denying that Jaryd raced well in Rio – he placed seventh in the men’s 1500m T13 and men’s 5000m T13, with one of his races attracting worldwide attention for being faster than its Olympic equivalent – but his improvement since then has been astronomical.

Jaryd won a bronze medal in the men’s 1500m T13 at the 2017 World Para-athletics Championships, became the first Paralympian to compete at the able-bodied U20 World Championships in 2018, and was crowned a dual world champion and world record holder in the men’s 1500m T13 at the 2019 World Para-athletics Championships last November. So, what changed?

One month prior to the 2017 World Championships, Jaryd began working with esteemed coach Philo Saunders, and for the first time in his life, Jaryd felt like an elite athlete. He was running every day, 100km every week.

But running with a vision impairment has its challenges, and as Jaryd’s sight deteriorates, he must continue to adapt. He runs alongside guide, best mate and long-time training partner Tim Logan, and because they have run together for years, they already naturally take the same strides. If ever there was a dynamic duo, these two are it, and it was a partnership which served Jaryd well in his second Games.

At Tokyo 2020, Jaryd won a medal in each of his three events – the Marathon T12 (silver), 5000m (silver), 1500m (bronze).