Strathpeffer cyclist is ready to go for gold at Paralympics in Paris
FIN GRAHAM says that he will be going for gold when he takes to the saddle for his second Paralympic Games campaign.
The Strathpeffer cyclist will be looking to go one better from the two silver medals he won three years ago in Tokyo as he starts his Paralympic Games in Paris on Friday.
The 24-year-old finished in second place in the individual pursuit and the Road Race in Japan as he established himself as one of the lead para-cyclists in the world.
Since then, in the last three years, he has gone on to achieve major wins at world championships and major competitions.
Graham will be competing in three events at the Paralympics, as he competes in the individual pursuit, time trial and the road race.
He said that he is aiming for a medal in each event in France in the next two weeks, and says if one of them was gold, it would be the pinnacle of his career.
“It would be nice to come away with three medals this time and it would be the icing on the cake if one of them was gold,”said Graham.
“I am going in with a similar mindset as previously. I will give it everything I have and whatever result comes from that then so be it.”
Since Tokyo, my performances have been really good. I have won six world titles and I am going in with confidence. It is the biggest event we have in our calendar and everyone wants to win it. I know I will be marked and everyone will want to beat me.”
Graham was born with bilateral club feet, which left him with no calf muscle and little to no movement in his ankles.
Having fallen in love with cycling at the age of four, Graham began competing in mountain biking three years later and raced across Scotland. He caught the attention of British Cycling’s para-cycling coaches in 2016 at a talent identification day in Derby and later relocated to Manchester where he has based since.
In Tokyo, no fans were permitted to venues due to the Covid pandemic with restrictions in place. Graham says he will be expecting a different kind of atmosphere this time with his family going to France to cheer him on.
“It is a bit different coming into this one with it being friends and family coming to watch. It will be like experiencing my first games all over again because I will be able to experience it with friends and family and see what an actual games environment and atmosphere is like.
“In Tokyo, everything was restricted due to covid, so I am looking forward to that.
As athletes, we are used to riding in empty stadiums, so the Covid hit games were not that much of a shock to me or know what to expect from a normal games. So I am excited to experience a Games with everything around it.”
Graham will start his campaign in the Men C3 3000M Individual Pursuit on Friday. He will also take part in the Men’s C3 Individual Time Trial on Wednesday, September 4 and the Men’s C3 Road Race on Saturday, September 7.
Graham has won six world titles since the Paralympics in Tokyo, including winning the C3 Road Race World Championship and individual pursuit in Glasgow last year.
This year at the World Track Championship in Rio De Janeiro he won bronze medals in the omnium and time trial.
While Graham says he would like to have performed better, he says 2024 is all about success at the Paralympic Games.
“We had the track world championships, which didn’t go as I would liked it to, but we are not bothered about the result because it is the Games that we are focussed on.
“It is hard when you are not going as well as you would like.
“ You need to remind yourself then when it is not, when you need to be going well. It is at the games where it has to happen. On the road I have had good results at world cups.
“But this is the one everyone wants to win.”
Graham will compete in the 3000 metres individual pursuit on Friday at 12:27pm in the qualifying event.
The riders with the two fastest times will race for Gold at 3.26pm
The next two fastest riders will race for Bronze at 3.18pm.
