The changing faces of a Paralympic giant

Aled Sion Davies is going for his fourth consecutive Paralympic gold medal

So much has changed - and yet it all feels so familiar.

Aled Sion Davies - Paralympic champion and world record holder - going for gold again.

It began at London 2012 with Paralympic gold in the F42 discus for the 21-year-old with the boyish looks.

By Rio 2016 the boy had become a man. He won gold again, this time in the F42 shot put, with a new Paralympic record. He threw his shot more than 1.5m further than his nearest rival. Beast mode.

In Tokyo 2020 there was a well-established confidence - exuded by a new moustache - and another Paralympic title to go with it.

Now, at Paris 2024, 33-year-old Davies has a calm authority and an aura of a man comfortable in his skin - eager to once again compete on his sport’s biggest stage.

From London 2012, the Welshman has won three Paralympic golds, a Paralympic bronze, ten world titles and Commonwealth gold for Wales.

“A lot of people always ask me what my motivation is,” he tells BBC Wales before the Games, “because I have won every title and accolade.”

As well as his three Paralympic golds, he also has a Paralympic bronze and a quite remarkable ten world titles.

“For me,” he continues, “it’s always been about delivering the performance when it matters. I love being able to show the world what I've got.

“I still feel I can deliver more - I still feel I can throw further. I want to push that Paralympic record I set in Rio. I didn't get a chance to in Tokyo because of the [wet] conditions, but I'm in shape to do it now. So I want to push that away from everyone else.

“And of course I want to bring back the colour everyone expects me to do every time.”

Confident words, undoubtedly. But when you hear them in person, there is a humility too.

Davies admits he is nervous ahead of Paris.

For him, if there are no nerves then it does not mean enough.

And he is aware that he is not the rising star any more. There is a target on his back and the next generation is desperate to surpass him.

“The athletes coming through are younger and bigger and stronger,” he says, “and the event evolves which is amazing.

“The top eight in the world are over the previous world record now, which I pushed on. So to be a part of an event that is evolving and to be at the forefront of that is what it's all about.

“Every four years, we get to go out there and show the world and find out who is the best.”

This is that drives him on.

He has craved this level of success from well before London 2012 - but that was the event that changed his life.

It was not only the moment he realised his boyhood dream of becoming Paralympic champion. It also helped grow this confidence within him that disability was not something to hide.

Speaking on fellow athlete Olivia Breen's BBC Wales series before the Games, Davies admited he did not even wear a pair of shorts until he was 17.

After London 2012, there was no stopping him.

He still trains in Cardiff, under coach Ryan Spencer-Jones. But now there are plenty of others there.

ParalympicsGB teammate Harrison Walsh, rising star Michael Jenkins and dual athlete in the bobsleigh and shot put, Adele Nicoll, are all part of the group.

There are ambitions to make Cardiff the key throwing hub for British Athletics.

And it really all began with Aled.

“Aled is fully committed at all times,” Harrison Walsh explains. “He’ll go until he can’t go any more and I think that’s what makes him the athlete he is.

“He’s a great competitor and also someone who trains exceptionally hard and is always there.

“Those two elements - quite often someone has one but not the other - he’s got both. That’s why he’s so good.”

Davies celebrates his 2024 world title with physio Adam Rattenbury, fellow Paralympic champion Dan Pembroke, GB and Wales teammate Harrison Walsh and coach Ryan Spencer-Jones.

Davies really wants to inspire the athletes coming behind him, whether in Wales or across the UK.

But when competition day arrives, he is going to take some shifting.

Only one Welsh athlete has ever won four Paralympic golds at four consecutive Games - the legendary Tanni Grey-Thompson.

Such longevity is rare.

But even for a man who has achieved so much, perhaps there is another chapter of the history books to be written in Paris on Saturday night.