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Visitors joined in our live chat on Thursday
1 August, with athletes Tanni Grey-Thompson, Kanukai Jackson and
Beth Tweddle from 6pm - 7pm. This
is the chat transcript. Questions and comments from the room are
in blue...
First up
was Tanni:
You've
won so many medals and titles. Do you still get nervous before a
race?
Tanni: I get
extremely nervous before I race. In my semi finals I was sick eight
times before the race. I think you need to be nervous to be up for
a race.
Hello
Tanni, what have you enjoyed most about the Manchester Games?
Tanni: The volunteers
have been really special because they work so hard and they are
the people that make the Games work.
What
was it like competing in the Commonwealth games so far?
Tanni: The crowds
were amazing. At the athletics there were 38,000 people watching.
The biggest crowd that I've competed in front of was in Sydney which
held 112,000 people but the noise in Manchester came really close
to that. Competing on home soil is a huge privilege
I
was one of the trackside marshall last night and from where I was
the atmosphere was electric, did this come across to the athletes?
Tanni: Yes it
does. Also when you're competing you shut out all the noise. You
really feel the atmosphere when you go into the stadium
How
much did your wheelchair cost?
Tanni: <laughs>
My wheelchair cost about 拢3000. Each of the back wheels are worth
about 拢1000 each. So you have to be careful not to crash!
What
do you think is the best way for me as a disabled sportsman to encourage
the TV networks to give disabled sport equal air time to sport involving
non-disabled athletes?
Tanni: Ensure
that the sport looks exciting and you need to have a very good organisation
behind you. TV crews only come to events that are well organised.
Is
it not sore when you bob up & down on your chest when racing ?????
Tanni: <laughs>
It doesn't hurt because you need to use the weight of your body
to help push the chair. The hardest part of wheelchair racing is
if you miss the wheel and you catch your elbows. The wheels are
covered in black rubber and if you cut your arms you have to use
a nail brush to get the rubber out of the broken skin and that hurts
a lot!
成人快手 Host:
Everyone in the chat studio just cringed!
Tanni: <laughing>
Cool!
Has
having a child affected your hunger to win medals and titles?
Tanni: I had
a baby five months ago and it hasn't changed my will to win. I started
back training when my daughter was three weeks old because I wanted
to be in Manchester.
I've
heard a lot of negative talk recently about athletes not being able
to make ends meet. Is this an issue for you, even though your one
of the greatest Welsh athletes of all times?
Tanni: It's
very difficult for young athletes to stay in the sport because at
15 years of age you have to make big commitments. It's not just
about money but about how much time you dedicate to sport.
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