Born:
25 May 1991
From:
Bridgend, Wales
Events:
Shot put, Discus, Javelin
Achievements:
Gold – World Junior Athletics Championships, Discus (2006)
Silver – World Junior Athletics Championships, Javelin (2006)
Bronze – World Junior Athletics Championships, Shot put (2006)
British Junior Record Holder – Discus
The Welsh World Junior Discus Champion says it takes ‘dedication and commitment’ to get what you want from life.
Raise Your game: How did you first get involved in athletics?
Aled Davies: I started off in disability swimming. Someone there also did athletics and I was invited to go along one night. Ever since then I’ve been doing athletics.
RYG: What does it take to become a world class athlete?
AD: Determination and commitment.
RYG: What sort of sacrifices have you had to make to get you this far?
AD: I still go out but not as much as I could before. Also I had to stop swimming because I’ve gone up a level in athletics. But I get to travel the world and compete for Wales and Great Britain.
RYG: What have you learnt from athletics?
AD: I’ve learnt that people shouldn’t be underestimated because they have a disability. They’re capable of lots of things but people don’t realise. There are loads of people with disabilities out there and it’d be good to let them know that they can do more than sit around.
RYG: How do you handle the pressure of a big competition?
AD: I just get my own space and focus on what I’m going to do. I keep thinking I can win it and that I’m going to do well. I listen to rock music to get me psyched up. My favourite band’s Rage Against the Machine
RYG: What are the highlights of your career so far?
AD: Getting selected for the GB team to compete at the World Championships out in Taipei, China.
RYG: And the lowlights?
AD: You get lots of disappointments in athletics. Sometimes you go to a competition and the weather’s really bad. You start off thinking ‘this is my time to impress’ and you end up throwing badly. You put pressure on yourself to perform and if you don’t it gets you down.
RYG: Do you think it’s important for people to compete in sport regardless of their ability?
AD: When I came out of hospital I was ten times the size I am now. I couldn’t really do much. I only had to walk up some stairs and I’d be out of breath. Through sport I’ve lost weight and become fitter. It doesn’t matter what size you are, you should still participate in sport.
RYG: How do you balance sporting commitments with your academic studies?
AD: I always put my education before sport. I’ve finished my GCSEs and in the summer sport comes first. It’s hard to balance the two but I do it.
RYG: What does a typical week’s training involve?
AD: I do seven gym sessions. I do a morning and a night on a Monday, a morning and a night on a Wednesday. I go swimming on Tuesday and do a gym session. On Thursday I go swimming and I do a gym session and it’s the same on Friday. On the weekends I swim and play rugby. In the summer it’s not too hectic but when I have to do school too it gets hard.
You’ve just got to think ‘I’m going to do my school work now, I’m going to try hard because then I’ll have time to do sport.’ If you concentrate on the moment and do sport afterwards, you do improve.
RYG: Which athletes inspire you?
AD: Nathan Stephens and Tanni Grey-Thompson. Nathan’s a bit of a machine. He puts me to shame in the gym. He benches 132kg and generally puts a lot of effort into his sport. When I see the effort he puts into his throws it makes me want to improve. When Tanni used to train with us she was really inspiring to us and the other wheelchair racers.
RYG: What are your goals and ambitions for the future?
AD: I want to qualify for Beijing in 2008. I’m eight metres away at the moment.
RYG: Do you see that happening?
AD: Yes I do. I also want to get the gold in 2012 in the discus and break the world record.
Taken from the Raise Your Game website:http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/raiseyourgame/pages/aled_davies.shtml
