Episode 102

Going to a dark place and frustration at BBC Panorama - Ali Jawad, Paralympics GB Powerlifter

Published on: 15th June, 2021

Ali Jawad is a Paralympic powerlifter who won silver in Rio in 2016. As we've heard over this series, Ali has really struggled with Crohn's Disease which has left him way behind his previous level at the sport. But he's working hard and doing his best to make the Games.

Ali had one last chance to qualify and he says he produced his best performance in 5 years to give himself an opportunity to make it. He says he had to take himself to a very dark place mentally and emotionally to get into the right state of mind to pull it off.

Ali describes what that feels like. And how his mind was stronger than his body. He now has a nervous wait to discover if he'll be in Tokyo.

We also talk about the BBC Panorama programme "The Unfair Games" an investigation into the Paralympic classification system. Ali was not impressed with the programme

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About the Podcast

Destination Tokyo
Olympic and Paralympic stories in the run up to the Tokyo Games.
I’ve covered 5 Olympic and 5 Paralympic Games at home and abroad. Tokyo 2020 was to have been numbers 6. So how are the athletes preparing during Covid times. And what are they learning in the run up to the Games. The Podcast lasts around 10 mins and comes out daily, Monday to Friday. I’m also using it to raise money for Maggie’s Cancer Centres to thank them for the help they’ve given my wife and family during her bowel cancer journey.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/destinationtokyo
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About your host

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Mark Shardlow

Hi - I'm Mark, a Sports Journalist specialising in Olympic and Paralympic Sports. I also help others podcast.