27th August 2012

Weir Prepares For London 2012 Test In Tough T54 Class

27 August 2012

Wheelchair racer David Weir (coach: Jenny Archer) says it will be a tough ask for him to repeat his heroics of Beijing four year ago, when he collected an impressive haul of two gold medals, a silver and a bronze.

The ParalympicsGB athlete goes in four events again this time around – the T54 800m, 1500m, 5000m and marathon – at his fourth Paralympic Games.

But Weir said the T54 class has moved on since the Beijing.

“Physically I feel in great shape and my preparations have been great. But T54 wheelchair racing is the toughest class in the world at the moment,” he said.

“To get four medals will be tough. The standards have jumped another level in the last four years. I’ll just take each race as it comes and see what happens.

“I’m here to do a job and that’s to win a gold medal,” he added. “I aim for one gold medal at every Championship. If I get more golds or medals, that’s a bonus.”

Weir said he is not fazed by the thought of competing in front of a home crowd. In fact, he was inspired by watching Britain’s Olympians being cheered on at the Olympic Stadium.

“I seem to deal with the pressure pretty well. Every time I do the London Marathon people just assume I’m going to turn up and win, and I’ve dealt with that situation, it’s just another race for me.

“Having the crowd cheering you on should get you the performance you’re looking for.

“It’s a bit of a pressure cooker competing at home, but I think a lot of athletes will thrive off it,” he said.

And Weir said there’s no secret to the success Britain has had in Paralympic sport.

“We’re a sporting nation and for years and years we’ve done well…there’s no secret to it, it’s down to hard work and determination,” he said.