18th December 2014

Davies Aims To Push Boundaries Further In 2015

23 December 2014

2014 has been quite a year for Aled Davies (coach: Ryan Spencer-Jones). The Welshman enjoyed success at the IPC European Championships winning double gold to finish the year as a Paralympic, world and European champion.

Prior to his medal winning exploits in Swansea back in August, he extended his F42 discus world record in May this year with a throw of 49.08m. Despite his success in Swansea, he had to settle for the silver medal just a week earlier at the Commonwealth Games behind his friend and rival, Dan Greaves (Jim Edwards).

Davies said: “Swansea really did step up to the mark. Those behind the event did a superb job and the Welsh crowd was great. For me to compete against some of the best athletes in the world in my back garden is something which was very close to my heart. On the Saturday night for the discus final, I just went out there and really enjoyed it. I managed to win and the whole crowd was behind me and it is a moment I will cherish forever.”

Not only was it a successful week for the 2012 Paralympic discus champion but the British team enjoyed a record breaking these Championships and Davies is delighted to be a part of the GB & NI team which continue to return large medal hauls.

“It is a phenomenal time to be part of such a strong British team. You are competing against the best in Europe and it was a great opportunity for the youngsters to get in the squad and step up at this level which a lot of them did. It’s looking good for British athletes and going into Rio 2016 we are looking to smash the targets which have been set.”

While 2014 has been a fruitful year Davies, he believed there is room for improvement and with his changes to his coaching setup, the Cardiff-based athlete sees no reason why he can’t continue his world dominance at the IPC World Championship and Paralympic Games over the next two years.

“Even though I went to the Europeans and won double gold, I haven’t been happy this season in terms of the way I have performed – I feel like I am not fulfilling my potential.

“As a spectator, I think people will say my season was good but for me, personally, it hasn’t been the best. I know I could have thrown a lot further and been a closer contender at the Commonwealth Games.”

On the back of his assessment of the season, the 23 year old brought in Ryan Spencer Jones as his new coach ahead of the 2015 season. He admits it was a difficult decision to move on from long-time old coach Anthony Hughes who introduced him into the sport, but insists it is a move he needed to make at this stage in his development.

“After the European Championships I had some time off and needed time to sit down and assess the situation. I wasn’t happy with my performances there and I had to make a decision. I felt I needed to get my head into a different direction.

“My old coach Anthony Hughes got me into the sport and took me to Paralympic gold and that is a great achievement. I have so much admiration and respect for the guy and he is an incredible coach. However, for me, I felt like I needed a change and I’d only kick myself if I didn’t give it a go. It might not work but I’m into a new programme, I’m feeling great and I’m excited to see the progress that I have made next year.”

Davies, nicknamed ‘the Bear’ has been on a weight loss regime since Swansea and has lost an astonishing three stone as he seeks to get leaner ahead of two significant years in his athletics career.

“I’ve dropped three stone in the last three months so we have stripped everything down and started to rebuild. I’m the lightest I’ve ever been but also the strongest and most explosive I’ve ever been. I’m looking forward to rebuilding my body so it can cope with the technical changes that we are making. It’s time to get strong, quick and explosive.”

With only the shot put gold medal up for grabs in Rio after the discus was dropped from the Paralympic programme, Davies admits his training and focus has altered for 2015. However, he will still attempt to defend both his discus and shot put world titles in Doha as he builds up to the Paralympic Games.

“I’d like to defend my two (IPC) World Championship titles in Doha next year and come home with two gold medals but the long term aim is to go for Paralympic shot put gold in Rio.

“I’m going to make sure I am in the best position possible to be a contender for that gold medal in Brazil.”

Follow Aled Davies on twitter at @AledDavies2012