WEBVTT - Paralympian Jaryd Clifford has an inspiring message for all runners

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Healthy Thank you tuning in listeners, Nice to

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<v Speaker 1>have you. You are listening to the daily podcast from

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<v Speaker 1>Body and Soul. I am Felicity Harley and it is

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<v Speaker 1>Para Olympic time and to celebrate, I am joined by

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<v Speaker 1>one of our most successful Paralympians, Jared Clifford. He's about

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<v Speaker 1>to embark on his third Paralympics. He is already a

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<v Speaker 1>three time Paralympic medalist, two times world champion Nike athlete.

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<v Speaker 1>He's a vision impaired middle distance athlete, and today he

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<v Speaker 1>is going to talk all about how his race rolls out,

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<v Speaker 1>his excitement for Paris of course, and the lessons he's

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<v Speaker 1>taking into his third Paraalympics. Make sure you listen in

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<v Speaker 1>to our other sister podcast, Extra Healthy Ish as well,

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<v Speaker 1>where he shares his full story and how he fell

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<v Speaker 1>short of his dreams in Tokyo and how he's using

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<v Speaker 1>that to inspire his races in Paris. Jared, thank you

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<v Speaker 1>for joining us today on Healthy Is. How are you.

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<v Speaker 1>How's it all going over there? Yeah?

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<v Speaker 2>No, thanks for having me.

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<v Speaker 3>It's I'm really excited to have a chat, and yeah,

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<v Speaker 3>it's been good.

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<v Speaker 2>Coming over to Europe.

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<v Speaker 3>Missing the Australian winter and training has been ramping up

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<v Speaker 3>not long ago.

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<v Speaker 2>Now it's all getting real.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, thanks for rubbing that in For the rest of

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<v Speaker 1>us who are who aren't having growth summer, How are

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<v Speaker 1>you feeling about Paris? What are the nerves like are you?

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<v Speaker 1>Are you getting there? Are getting excited?

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<v Speaker 3>I'm overwhelmingly the emotion is excitement. It's nervous excitement for sure,

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<v Speaker 3>but it's the kind of nerves that you can harness

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<v Speaker 3>for you know, a good performance, Whereas I definitely have

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<v Speaker 3>approached Paralympics in the past with a lot of nerves

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<v Speaker 3>that might be cast as a burden. So I'm just

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<v Speaker 3>so excited to be able to have another opportunity to

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<v Speaker 3>chase the dream. So, you know, I've kind of gone

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<v Speaker 3>in with this mantra that when I stand on the

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<v Speaker 3>start line, it's the any place in the world that

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<v Speaker 3>I want to be in that moment, and so I'm

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<v Speaker 3>really feeling like that's going to come true when I

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<v Speaker 3>do stand on the line.

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<v Speaker 2>So yeah, just overwhelmingly excited.

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<v Speaker 1>Tell us a bit about your Paralympic event. What is

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<v Speaker 1>it exactly?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, so I'm a Paralympic middle and long distance runner,

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<v Speaker 3>so I compete in the fifth hundred meters in the

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<v Speaker 3>five thousand meters predominantly. I did do the marathon a

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<v Speaker 3>couple of years ago at the Paralympics, but that's been

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<v Speaker 3>put on the back burner for this one.

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<v Speaker 2>So we're just on the track.

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<v Speaker 3>So I compete in the category that is T twelve

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<v Speaker 3>slash thirteen. That means that I'm visually impaired, and I

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<v Speaker 3>compete against other athletes that are visually impaired. Athletes that

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<v Speaker 3>are totally blind to compete in a separate category against

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<v Speaker 3>similarly impaired people, So at the Paralympics, we only compete

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<v Speaker 3>against people of the same or similar disability, and so

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<v Speaker 3>for me, that's visually impaired. So some of my competitors

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<v Speaker 3>have tunnel vision where they can see quite far but

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<v Speaker 3>not peripherally, and then I am someone that has I

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<v Speaker 3>have poor central vision but good peripheral vision. So we

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<v Speaker 3>get clumped together because we do have some good site

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<v Speaker 3>and so yeah, that's kind of what makes me eligible

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<v Speaker 3>for the Paralympics. And distance running, I find is one

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<v Speaker 3>of the most freeing sports to do having a visual

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<v Speaker 3>impairment because it's a one hundred meters straight followed by

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<v Speaker 3>a one hundred meters event. Repeat it over and over,

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<v Speaker 3>so it's not too bad.

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<v Speaker 1>So because some of those events have people running with them,

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<v Speaker 1>but you don't.

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<v Speaker 3>Do you. Yeah, So my category has the option to

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<v Speaker 3>use guide runners. So in the fifteen hundred meters, which

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<v Speaker 3>is a lot faster and shorter than say the five k,

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<v Speaker 3>I'll run that solo. But in the five thousand meters

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<v Speaker 3>at these games, I'll be using two guide runners. They'll

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<v Speaker 3>switch it halfway and we're connected by a fifteen centimeter tether,

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<v Speaker 3>so we have to be in sync, almost like a

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<v Speaker 3>three legged race, but connected at the hand.

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<v Speaker 2>And so they will.

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<v Speaker 3>Give me all the information that an everyday runner would receive.

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<v Speaker 2>Just by looking.

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<v Speaker 3>So they'll tell me things like what position I'm coming,

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<v Speaker 3>laps to go splits, which athletes are in front of me,

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<v Speaker 3>because that will dictate what tactics I do, the gap

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<v Speaker 3>between athletes are on the track, and just making sure

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<v Speaker 3>that I can get absolutely everything out of myself without

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<v Speaker 3>needing to think about seeing to get around the track,

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<v Speaker 3>and I get to run without any hesitancy or run

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<v Speaker 3>without any fear into this hard to see space in

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<v Speaker 3>front of me, and I can do that just going

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<v Speaker 3>absolutely all out because I know that the guide next

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<v Speaker 3>to me will have my back if I need.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, you must have an incredible amount of trust in them.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it's definitely trust.

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<v Speaker 3>So the two guys like Tim Logan, who's been training

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<v Speaker 3>with me since I was twelve and I'm twenty five now.

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<v Speaker 3>So we've run I think we've calculated thirty to thirty

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<v Speaker 3>five thousand kilometers together. He lives with me, he is,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, we've spent a lot of time together, and.

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<v Speaker 2>I definitely you know, when I cross the.

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<v Speaker 3>Road and I'm running with him, I'm quite literally trusting

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<v Speaker 3>you with my life when we do that. And so

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<v Speaker 3>the other guide is Matt Clark. He's an Olympian and

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<v Speaker 3>he'll be going to his second Olympics in the steeple chase,

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<v Speaker 3>and so he's doubling back. He won't be celebrating too hard,

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<v Speaker 3>too quickly because yeah, he'll be coming to the Paralympics

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<v Speaker 3>as well. So you know, we're all best mates, all

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<v Speaker 3>three of us. So it's just such a special thing

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<v Speaker 3>that I get to do. You know, there's not many

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<v Speaker 3>runners that get to, I guess stand on the start

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<v Speaker 3>line with one of their best mates.

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<v Speaker 2>But beyond the same team, I think it's really exciting.

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<v Speaker 1>That's phenomenal. Now you've been to Rio in Beijing. Oh sorry, Tokyo.

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<v Speaker 1>What learnings are you going to take from those Paralympics

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<v Speaker 1>into Paris.

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<v Speaker 2>There's so many different lessons, you know.

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<v Speaker 3>I was seventeen when I went to Rio, and it

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<v Speaker 3>was all about soaking up the atmosphere, learning as much

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<v Speaker 3>as possible. I remember putting my foot down on the

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<v Speaker 3>start line when we called to our marks, and you

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<v Speaker 3>kind of put weight through that front leg before the

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<v Speaker 3>gun goes, and I couldn't put any weight through it

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<v Speaker 3>because it was shaking so much.

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<v Speaker 2>That's how nervous I was, and.

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<v Speaker 3>Never run in front of the crowd like that. All

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<v Speaker 3>I could think about was, you know, what if I

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<v Speaker 3>come last?

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<v Speaker 2>What happens if I fall over? What are the kids

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<v Speaker 2>at school got to say?

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<v Speaker 3>Because I was still in like year eleven and I was,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, thinking a lot about that and it was

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<v Speaker 3>a great experience.

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<v Speaker 2>But the lesson from that was that.

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<v Speaker 3>I've got to think about the process, not the outcome,

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<v Speaker 3>Like that's got to be how I think about things,

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<v Speaker 3>because if you focus on the process, the outcome will

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<v Speaker 3>sort itself out, So that was the big lesson from that,

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<v Speaker 3>and then the big lesson from Tokyo. I went in

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<v Speaker 3>his favorite in three events as either reigning wheel champion

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<v Speaker 3>or world record holder, and I came away with two

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<v Speaker 3>silvers and a bronze, which I was obviously super proud of,

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<v Speaker 3>but did fall short of the dream that I'd held

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<v Speaker 3>since I was a kid. So, you know, the lesson

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<v Speaker 3>from that was that I needed to make sure I

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<v Speaker 3>was enjoying the sport and not that I make sure

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<v Speaker 3>the sport wasn't just a means to.

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<v Speaker 2>An end, the end being the dream.

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<v Speaker 3>I had to remember that I actually have this dream

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<v Speaker 3>because I had fallen in love with the sport as

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<v Speaker 3>a kid, So the falling in love with the sport

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<v Speaker 3>had actually come before the dream, and so I guess

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<v Speaker 3>it was just reminding myself of that and going back

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<v Speaker 3>to the basics and why I loved it and making

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<v Speaker 3>sure training wasn't just yeah, it means to an end,

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<v Speaker 3>it was actually something that I enjoyed doing. So I

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<v Speaker 3>think over the last three years, I've definitely done that. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>Now, we did well meet at the Nike Running Summit,

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<v Speaker 1>and you gave an incredible answer to a question there

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<v Speaker 1>about the Paralympics and the Olympics being one event. What's

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<v Speaker 1>your view on this.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, it's something we get asked quite a lot, particularly

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<v Speaker 3>off the back of the Commonwath Games recently appearing to

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<v Speaker 3>kind of synthesize the two events, which isn't quite true.

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<v Speaker 3>The Commonwath Games have a tiny, tiny amount of power

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<v Speaker 3>events and the Gold Coast twenty eighteen that wasn't actually

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<v Speaker 3>a new thing. It was just that the medals counted

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<v Speaker 3>to the metal tally for the first time.

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<v Speaker 2>So I don't think they should be combined.

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<v Speaker 3>I think that the Paralympics on its own is very

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<v Speaker 3>important for sport, very important for the world because it

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<v Speaker 3>is the only time where disability is front center for

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<v Speaker 3>two weeks. Is it's not overshadowed by Yusain Bolt or

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<v Speaker 3>Simone Biles.

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<v Speaker 2>It is prime time just focus on disability.

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<v Speaker 3>And because I think it's important because the Paralympics as

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<v Speaker 3>a sporting spectacle also provides us a two week window

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<v Speaker 3>into how the world should be for all people with disabilities.

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<v Speaker 3>The Paralympics shows us what people disabilities can do when

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<v Speaker 3>they're given the support and resources to excel.

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<v Speaker 2>So if it shows it.

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<v Speaker 3>If we were to give the support and resources to

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<v Speaker 3>people's disabilities to excel in all aspects of life, all

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<v Speaker 3>throughout society, not just the ones that love doing sport,

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<v Speaker 3>then imagine what's possible. And if the Paralympics and the

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<v Speaker 3>Olympics were combined, we would lose, we would lose that

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<v Speaker 3>window that we get given into this kind of utopian

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<v Speaker 3>world that I think does have a chance to exist.

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<v Speaker 3>So I think it's very important that the Paralympics stays

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<v Speaker 3>unique to itself. We have our own symbol, our own name,

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<v Speaker 3>and yeah, it's just our chance to show the world

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<v Speaker 3>what we can do.

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<v Speaker 1>Well. Thank you for championing us at the Paralympics and.

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<v Speaker 2>For coming on healthy, Thanks for having.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, thanks for listening to this chat with Jared, and yes,

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<v Speaker 1>make sure you watch his races the Paralympics on now

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<v Speaker 1>on Channel nine on nine. Now I know where I'll

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<v Speaker 1>be glued to this weekend, and I hope you will

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<v Speaker 1>be too. If you did enjoy this chat, rate and

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<v Speaker 1>review it or of course subscribe to this podcast anything else,

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<v Speaker 1>head to bodyansoul dot com dot you grab our print edition,

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<v Speaker 1>which is out in your local Sunday paper and make

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<v Speaker 1>sure you are following us across social media, and until tomorrow,

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<v Speaker 1>hopefully next time you listen, go Aussie and stay healthy.