Steve Thomas says embracing the ‘brutality’ and ‘dark places’ of Nordic skiing were the secrets behind securing his spot at a sixth Paralympic Games.
Thomas, 45, is a veteran of the British team after staring as a sailor at the Summer Games of 2008, 2012 and 2016 and in ice sledge hockey at Salt Lake City 2002 and Turin 2006.
He temporarily retired after Rio 2016 but couldn’t resist the temptation of elongating his Paralympic odyssey, strapping on a pair of skis to give the gruelling world of Nordic snowsports a go.
Pain-staking distances, steep uphill gradients and hair-raising speeds mean Nordic skiing isn’t a sport for the faint-hearted but Thomas admits he fell in love with the challenge ahead of Beijing 2022.
“The one thing I love about Nordic skiing is that it’s just brutal,” said the Welshman, who is one of over 1,000 athletes able to train full-time, access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering technology, science and medical support thanks to vital National Lottery funding.
“There are no hiding places - I’ve always wondered whether I can be an individual athlete and this has given me the opportunity to delve into that.
“I retired after Rio but there was just an itch and something that wasn’t quite right. I still wanted to challenge myself in a sporting content - I was given the opportunity to try out Nordic skiing and I loved it.
“Technically, physiologically and mentally, Nordic skiing is probably one of the most brutal sports there are. I think you have to be made of really stern stuff - the outdoor conditions mean we’re often skiing in minus 20 degrees, doing four or five sessions out on the road.
“You have to have a massive tolerance of volume, and we also go to really high heart rates as well, so you have to put yourself in some dark places in terms of intensity.
“There’s a big range of physiological factors, but also collated with that is the mental side and breadth of character you need to put yourself in those dark places where you’ve just got to grind it out.
“Coupled with a lot of technical ability as well, you need a certain mindset about how to deal with those elements throughout. There’s a lot going on in the sport.”
The British team will take a record five Nordic skiers to Beijing, with Thomas joined by Scott Meenagh – who became the first British para Nordic skier to compete at a Games for two decades at PyeongChang 2018 – Steve Arnold, Callum Deboys and Hope Gordon.
That tally helps complete ParalympicsGB’s biggest team for a Winter Games since Lillehammer 1994, with 25 athletes set to descend on Beijing across alpine skiing, snowboarding, Nordic skiing and wheelchair curling this week.
Thomas is relishing the newfound dynamic and hopes the well-stocked team pulling together on the big stage can inspire the next generation of disabled sporting talent.
He said: “It’s incredible – I’m just super excited and proud to be travelling to Beijing and representing ParalympicsGB and my country.
“It’s amazing to be part of this group – Nordic skiing has pushed on significantly since Scott in 2018, but we’ve got a competitive team across all sports looking to achieve personal bests.
“We’ve been getting better and better throughout the season, which is a really good sign for us. It’s about laying down a marker in Beijing but also inspiring the next generation of Paralympians.
“15 per cent of people are disabled in the UK – it would be good to inspire more people to do snowsports and get the buzz that we get from doing it.”
Thomas knows bagging a medal in the Chinese capital would add to the 1,000-plus achieved by British athletes at the Olympics and Paralympics since the advent of National Lottery funding to elite sport in 1997.
And he said: “The National Lottery has been massive for me – without that money and the players playing it trying to win it for their dreams, I and countless other athletes wouldn’t have been able to do what we’ve done or follow our dreams as well.
“Your support has put me on the start line at the Paralympic Games – thank you to all The National Lottery players.”
No-one does more to support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes than National Lottery players, who raise more than £30 million each week for good causes including grassroots and elite sport. Discover the positive impact playing the National Lottery has at www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk and get involved by using the hashtag: #TNLAthletes
