Paralysed in an accident at home, Declan Slevin just captured the spirit of the Paralympic Games with his inspiring remarks in Rio. We salute you sir! (Photo: Sportsfile)
Westmeath’s Declan Slevin finished 9th in the men’s H3 road race at the Paralympic Games in Rio.
The first-time Paralympian rode a gutsy race in a fast contest to claim a top ten finish on what was a hot and humid affair.
Slevin, who was paralysed from the chest down in 2004 when he had an accident at home cutting down a tree outside his new family home, didn’t mince his words at the end of his race.
He had already finish 11th in the TT at these Paralympics, with the experience of being at a Games representing his country and his family clearly having deeply affected and inspired him.
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“If you told me 12 years ago that I would have ninth place in the Paralympic Games I would not have believed you for one second," said an emotional Slevin, whose story you can read by following this link.
“I say to anyone lying in a bed in Dún Laoghaire hospital with a spinal injury that this is it – this is where you want to be [at a Paralympic Games]. I’ll never give up this sport.”
Of his road race he said: “It was tough out there - they made a big drive for it then and I was struggling and struggling.
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“But I held on and kept going and I started catching one or two of them. I can’t believe I finished ninth, it’s more than I could have ever asked for – I’m over the moon!”
Slevin’s H3 60km Road Race was four laps of a flat and fast 15km course along the sea front.
Italy’s Vittorio Podesta emerged as one of the power house of the event, setting the pace for the majority of the contest though not coming away with a medal in the end.
With the pace as high as it was and the heat making an already intense battle even tougher, it became a real war of attrition with drops being constantly dropped from the thinning out lead pack.
Slevin was in 12th place on the road at the halfway point but with some of the riders head of him clearly having gone out too quickly the Irishman picked some of them off while putting more daylight between himself and those just behind.
He managed to close a gap of around one minute on the third lap to American William Lachenauer. Digging in deeper with the encouragement of gaining on those ahead, Slevin show his steel by continuing to progress and catching a group of riders just ahead.
That put him firmly in the mix for a top 10 placing, which was always going to be a top result in his first Games.
But that coveted top 10 place would be his when he got among those around him and managed to get over the finish line in 9th place.
An indication of how testing the conditions were and powerful some of the athletes becoming clear when many dropped out of the event on the final lap behind Slevin.
The race was won by Paulo Cecchetto of Italy ahead of Maximilian Weber of Germany, with Charles Moreau of Canada rounding out the podium.
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