Laura Sugar: Tokyo Paralympics Para-canoe champion hopes gold can inspire others
- Published
Laura Sugar is one of four Welsh competitors to have won gold for Great Britain at the Tokyo Paralympics
Paralympic Games on the BBC |
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Venue: Tokyo, Japan Dates: 24 August-5 September Time in Tokyo: BST +8 |
Coverage: Follow on Radio 5 Live and on the BBC Sport website |
Paralympic champion Laura Sugar hopes her Para-canoe gold medal inspires other people with her disability to get involved in sport.
The 30-year-old was born with talipes, or club foot, and had no ankle movement in her left foot after surgery.
Her parents were warned by a doctor that she would never be able to do sport, but chose not to tell her.
"If you want to do something and you believe you can do it, go for it," Sugar told BBC Sport Wales.
Sugar's approach led her to play hockey for Wales and reach two Paralympic finals in athletics in 2016 before switching to Para-canoe and taking gold in Tokyo.
She says people should take up sport "no matter what other people say" if they are keen to do so.
"I've had people, even in hockey, say you're not going to make it," said Sugar.
"Whatever you decide as success, it doesn't have to be a medal round your neck, you can get there if you don't give up.
"I love sport and I've kept going in sport and I've ended up with a medal round my neck."
Sugar produced a dominant display to take gold in the women's kayak single 200m (KL3) in a new Paralympic best time of 49.582 - a winning margin of almost two seconds.
The result is all the more impressive given she only got into a canoe for the first time in late 2018, with her first international race not until the following year.
"It's a whole mixture of emotions," Sugar continued. "You're obviously happy, but also relieved.
"Every time you do a time trial or a 200m you're just relieved it's over because it's hard with that lactic build-up in the last 50m. Then there were tears of joy.
"I'm so happy and proud of myself that I could pull it out the bag.
"It's obviously the pinnacle, achievements-wise, of my career so I tried to remember it rather than let it go past in a blur.
"Not many people get to stand on that podium and hear the national anthem. It was a really special moment."
Sugar credits sport with helping her body learn to cope with a lack of ankle movement.
It is a message she hopes she can pass on to others.
"I obviously wanted to become Paralympic champion, but what I do in day-to-day life won't change," Sugar said.
"I'll still train, I'm still aiming for Paris, I'm still going to coach hockey at my local school.
"But hopefully for Para-sport and people with my disability of club foot or fused ankles, we can inspire more people to just get involved in sport, whether you want to be competitive or not; just being involved in sport or being active."
There is not much time for Sugar to rest after Tokyo.
The Para-canoe World Championships take place in Copenhagen from 16-19 September.
Another medal would add to a memorable year, but for Sugar it will always be about enjoying her sport, rather than being defined by whether she wins.