CHAMPION ΤΑΙ FINDS JOY AGAIN

Paralympian shifts focus from medals to inspiring disabled children worldwide

- Kimberly Kwek Sports Correspondent

Just a few months ago, Alice Tai could barely bring herself to be poolside without crying.

The British swimmer had just come off the high of the 2024 Paralympics, where she bagged five medals, including golds in the 50m freestyle and 100m backstroke S8, her first individual titles at the quadrennial event.

But what followed was a difficult period of transition as her longtime coach Dave Heathcock retired.

Heathcock, who had coached her since 2018, was like family to Tai and played a significant role in moulding her progress in the sport.

Returning to training with her old club without him was a struggle and left the 26-year-old resentful, casting doubts on her participation at the World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore.

She said: “Every time I tried to go swimming, I would just cry. I really wasn't enjoying it and I didn't want to keep forcing it because I knew I would hate it more and more.

“In the past, around 2016 when I was a teenager, I already struggled with having to train every single day, and I finally found an environment where I was happy and training every day and I loved every second of it, so when that changed, it was just really difficult to deal with.”

Tai was speaking on the sidelines of a press conference ahead of the world meet, which takes place at the OCBC Aquatic Centre from Sept 21 to 27.