Dan Bethell: ‘Paris is an opportunity to properly live my Paralympic fantasy’
There are now exactly two weeks until the 2024 Paralympics get underway in Paris. The ParalympicsGB badminton squad has been selected, including three returning Paralympians and one debutant, and we have been hearing from all of them in the run-up to the Games (read Krysten Coombs’ piece here and Rachel Choong’s here). Next up is Dan Bethell, who won silver when badminton made its Paralympic debut in Tokyo…
When I won silver in Tokyo, my celebrations consisted of a Zoom call with my family. I’m desperate to go even better at Paris 2024, this time with my loved ones in the stands.
Medalling at Tokyo 2020 was one of the best moments of my career and undoubtedly acted as the fulfilment of a childhood dream.
However, as I stepped onto the podium surrounded by empty seats, I could only wish that my family and friends were there to see my success in person.
Paris poses an opportunity to live out my Paralympic fantasy proper. As the first Games in Europe in 12 years, it could easily feel like a home Paralympics and I expect a sizable British faithful to make the trip across the channel to support.
Playing in front of 7,000 fans will be a whole new experience for me as a para-badminton player and I cannot wait to soak up the atmosphere. It’s going to be a surreal experience.
I’m in the best shape of my life and know that if I perform at my best, I can win gold. That said, nothing is a foregone conclusion at the Paralympics and I need to put in the hard graft between now and then if I hope to top the podium.
My journey in para-badminton dates back 16 years and was first inspired by the Beijing Paralympics in 2008.
It was the first time I’d really watched a para-sport, particularly at that level, and just seeing these amazing athletes with my disability achieving these incredible sporting feats left me in awe. I immediately wanted to be a part of it.
To be honest, the biggest thing I wanted at the time was the ParalympicsGB stash. I just loved the idea of going around the stadium at the opening ceremony, draped out in all the GB kit.
And even after going to a Paralympic Games, the novelty of wearing GB colours has not worn off – I absolutely loved Kitting Out, that was a special day.
Beijing 2008 changed the course of my life forever, and close to two decades on from first being inspired into para-sport, I now have the same opportunity to inspire the next generation of para-athletes.
To be a role model in disability sport feels amazing. It’s one of the most satisfactory things I get out of competing.
I think it’s really important that people with disabilities, particularly kids, go out and play sports because it can really change your life.
What I’ve taken out of para-badminton is not simply limited to medals. The community of the sport has been massively beneficial to me.
When I first started back in 2009, I was rubbish at badminton. I didn’t win a match for the first two years of my career, but I kept going and I kept pursuing it because I really loved the sport and the people I had met.
I learned so many lessons about living with a disability. Things like learning to tie my shoelaces with one hand, it was through meeting people with cerebral palsy who had gone through those challenges that allowed me to find solutions.
For me, the biggest part of para-sport is the community feel that comes with it, bringing people together who have got shared experiences of living with a disability.
While I travel to Paris with the overriding aim of taking home a medal, I hope to simultaneously inspire as many people as I can to get involved with para-sports.
