Biography
Impairment information
Type of Impairment
Intellectual impairment
Classification
T20
Further personal information
Residence
Cardiff, WAL
Languages
English
Sport specific information
When and where did you begin this sport?
He first got involved in athletics when he was at school. He began competing in 2006.
Why this sport?
He had been turned away from several football clubs because of his intellectual impairment, so he decided to focus on athletics. His school physical education teacher then invited him to join the school cross country team.
Club / Team
Cardiff Athletic Club [WAL] / DSW Para Academy [WAL]:
Name of coach
James Thie [personal], GBR, from 2015
General interest
Nicknames
Steve (Facebook profile, 03 Oct 2019)
Hobbies
Spending time with family and friends, supporting Welsh football club Cardiff, travel. (dyspraxialifemagazine.co.uk, 02 Dec 2018)
Memorable sporting achievement
Competing at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, and finishing fourth in the T20 1500m at the 2017 World Championships in London, England. (dyspraxialifemagazine.co.uk, 02 Dec 2018)
Injuries
An Achilles injury disrupted his training between February 2019 and July 2019. (stevot20blog.wordpress.com, 19 Sep 2019)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"Keep it smooth." (disabilitysportwales.org, 15 Jun 2012)
Ambitions
To compete at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (dyspraxialifemagazine.co.uk, 02 Dec 2018)
Impairment
He has dyspraxia and a learning impairment. "I was diagnosed with dyspraxia at three years old. My traits are speech, memory and sometimes my coordination." (dyspraxialifemagazine.co.uk, 02 Dec 2018; teamthie.com, 28 Jul 2013)
Other information
COACHING
He has worked as an assistant coach under Cardiff Archers endurance running coach Paul Hill. "Being assistant coach to Paul Hill is a great experience watching him observe and how organised he is with his sessions, and how he gives his feedback to his athletes. It's nice to gain experience for my coaching course." (Twitter profile, 28 Jun 2018)
He has worked as an assistant coach under Cardiff Archers endurance running coach Paul Hill. "Being assistant coach to Paul Hill is a great experience watching him observe and how organised he is with his sessions, and how he gives his feedback to his athletes. It's nice to gain experience for my coaching course." (Twitter profile, 28 Jun 2018)
Results
Unit | Date | Rank |
---|
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Men's 1500 m T20 | Final Round | 2012-09-04 | 6 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Men's 1500 m T20 | Final 1 | 2013-07-25 | 8 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Men's 1500 m T20 | Final Round | 2016-09-13 | 6 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Men's 1500 m T20 | Final 1 | 2017-07-17 | 4 | |
Men's 800 m T20 | Heat 2 | 2017-07-21 | 3 | |
Men's 800 m T20 | Final 1 | 2017-07-22 | 5 | |
Men's 5000 m T20 | Final 1 | 2017-07-23 | 5 |