Born:
18 August 1991
From:
Swansea, Wales
Events:
Discus, Javelin and Shot put
Achievements:
British Junior Champion – Discus
Bronze – World Junior Championships 2006 – Discus
Bronze – World Junior Championships 2006 – Javelin
Josh Morgan
The young Welsh Paralympic star says "If you enjoy something, stick with it because you never know where it might take you."
Raise Your Game: How did you first get involved in athletics?
Josh Morgan: My friend’s father heard about the FDSW (Federation of Disability Sport Wales) in Cardiff so we came down and it carried on from there.
RYG: What does it take to succeed in athletics?
JM: You’ve got to train to your full potential every day. I’m only just starting out and it’s a tough thing to do. Hopefully I can get through it and get to the top.
RYG: What have you learnt from athletics?
JM: My coach won’t accept anybody who doesn’t show respect. If you haven’t got respect then he doesn’t want you involved in the sport. Sport can build confidence. When you travel around the world and win medals, you feel good about it and it builds your confidence up a lot. You get to see a lot of the world too
RYG: What have been the highlights of your athletics career so far?
JM: Last year I went to the UK School Games and competed in the shot put. I came away with a gold medal. I went to the World Junior Games last year in Dublin and came away with two bronze medals for discus and javelin. I also won the Junior Sports Personality of the Year for Wales in the Disability Sports Events awards last year. That was a nice thing to have.
RYG: And the lowlights?
JM: Sometimes you don’t throw to your best ability, which gets you down. You’ve got to train through that and improve.
RYG: How do you balance your sporting commitments with your academic studies?
JM: We went to a training camp two years ago in Spain. That has to be put on hold this year because so many athletes in the academy have got GCSEs coming up. I train mostly on Mondays and Wednesdays, so I do my school work on other nights. In the summer I try and train as much as I can. School comes first but I manage to fit both in.
RYG: Do you think it’s important for people to participate in sport regardless of their ability?
JM: Definitely. Why shouldn’t you involve yourself in something just because of your ability? If you enjoy something, stick with it because you never know where it might take you.
RYG: What does a typical week’s training involve?
JM: I tend to come to Cardiff on Mondays and Wednesdays and do a throwing session. I go to the gym a lot and try to do a lot of fitness work as well.
RYG: Which athletes inspire you?
JM: I’ve learnt a lot from Nathan Stephens since I came here three years ago. I think he’s a great athlete and I hope he does well. I look up to him a lot.
RYG: What are you goals and ambitions for the future?
JM: I’d like to go to the Paralympics in 2012 and get a medal.
RYG: How do you handle the pressure of competing?
JM: I try and think of it as another training session. I try and relax. I’ve never been to a major competition, so it might be different when I get there.
Story taken from the Raise Your Game website:http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/raiseyourgame/pages/josh_morgan.shtml
