Wales’ greatest current Paralympian, Aled Davies, believes he is on the way back to his best after a difficult year. As he tells Owen Morgan, the secret behind his optimism is a new two-stones heavy leg brace that can stand up to the rigours of the discuss and shot circle and the forces he brings to competition.
Aled Davies is hoping to put the trials and tribulations of last year behind him after successfully completing his first competition of 2019.
Although Davies won double gold in the discus and shot put at the World Para Athletics European Championships in Berlin last summer, his season was plagued with problems surrounding the leg brace he wears to compete.
Even during those gold medal winning performances last August, Davies had to literally tape the brace together after it snapped mid-competition.
At one point he had considered not travelling to Germany at all after the brace had snapped eight times during the season.
But last weekend he trialled a new brace in competition for the first time at the Welsh Indoor Athletics Championship in Cardiff.
After the competition, the three-time double world champion and world record holder spoke of his battle to perfect the ideal equipment as he bids to fulfil his true potential in advance of November’s World Championships in Dubai.
Davies told Dai Sport: “We’ve had an absolutely terrible time when it comes to the orthotics on my leg snapping and whatnot. We’ve been struggling to find the correct one; to be back where we were when I was throwing my furthest.
“It’s the hardest part for me. A lot of people don’t realise how frustrating it is when I’m physically ready to go and I know I’m hitting all my targets, I’m stronger and quicker than ever. I know I’m in shape to throw big.
“I’ve never been in a place before where I’m almost feeling like my disability and equipment is hindering me. It has been a tough test.”
But there is hope on the horizon, says Davies: “I’m wearing an orthotic that weighs 12 kilos now, which is about two stone. Having that extra weight on has been tough to get used to, but it’s working and we’re finally moving in the right direction.
“It’s just going to be a long process and luckily the World Champs are not until November. So we’ve got a long time. I’m not worried.
“It’s taken a long time and I changed to this one three days ago, so it was a bit ambitious probably to come out and compete on it, but it’s the Welsh Champs and I love competing here at home.
“I just wish I could have done something a bit better because I know that if everything comes together I know I’m strong enough to throw 15 or 16 metres right now, it’s just going to have to wait.”
Despite not having thrown as far as he had hoped, Davies was happy to take the positives out of his performance.
“It was the first comp of the year, it was always going to be rough,” said the world record holder and multiple Paralympic, World and European Champion.
“I’m not really in the right place to throw a long way yet. I’m just coming off a big, big winter and it was just a case of coming out and having a bit of fun.
“Obviously it was a tough year for me last year, so it was nice to get back out there. The distance was not great if I’m honest. I am capable of a lot better, but at the moment we’re just trying to get things right. It’s a long year, we’re training towards November.
“So I’m happy with the start, it will build now over the next few weeks and hopefully we can produce something a bit more respectable at the British Champs.”
“Obviously there’s the World Champs at the end of the year, I want to go for the golds and they will be the stepping stones towards Tokyo (2020 Paralympics).
“But for me, it’s getting back to those distances. I know that I’m going to be hunting down the 18 metre line by the end of the year so it’s just sitting tight, trusting in the programme and riding it out.
“I’m really looking forward to the British Champs in a couple of weeks, I always throw well there, it’s a good atmosphere, the shot put is in the centre of the arena so it gets really good coverage.
“I’m coming down a bit off training for that, so I’ll have a bit more time on my leg and I should be able to produce something good there.”