David Weir won 4 Gold medals at the London Paralympic Games 2012, a record equalling feat, adding to his two from Beijing and his six World Championship Gold medals. He is the Superhuman of T54 wheelchair racing and produced some of the most extraordinary performances of the Paralympic Games and he will go down in folklore as the ‘Weir-Wolf’.
The newly awarded British Athletics Paralympic Athlete of the year has had the most sensational summer and he has produced mesmerising displays which have catapulted Paralympic sport into the public eye. His celebration when crossing the line in the 800m, with his shirt unzipped and the cry of delight, will be one of the defining images of the greatest summer of sport in Great Britain. The nickname of the ‘Weir-Wolf’ was given more appropriate meaning and it sums up the unbelievable achievements which David Weir produced within ten days in London.
Weir was born with a spinal cord transection, thus, his spinal cord was severed. He cannot lock his legs together or stand up at all. However, Weir has had the determination and the work ethic, to now have the honour of being described as the ‘best wheelchair racer in history’ according to Peter Eriksson, the head coach of the UK Athletics Paralympic programme. In comparison to some of the leading and most highly decorated wheelchair racers such as Tanni Grey-Thompson, Heinz Frei and Chantal Petitclerc, this is a resounding endorsement.
The man from Wallington in South London, burst onto the scene at a very young age, and his coach, Jenny Archer, has said in interviews, that she kept her eye on David from a young age because she had spotted burgeoning potential. The intense sessions that she put together for Weir in Richmond Park leading up to the Games in London, were part of the creation of a Paralympic champion and they definitely reaped their rewards after the meticulous planning by Archer and the dedicated training by Weir.
Weir went to his first Paralympics in Atlanta 1996 at the tender age of 17. To say it was a disappointment for him as an overall experience would be an understatement. He finished 7th in the T54 100m, went out in the semi-finals in the 400m and finished 4th in the 4x400m relay. He has often described how he could only see about five people in the crowd, thus, suggesting the low profile of disability sport in 1996. The feeling that his dream may have been over, as he no longer felt motivated to achieve it, was evident in his reaction to the event. David Weir went on to pull out of athletics altogether and he did not train for the Sydney Olympics in 2000. He had fallen out of love with Athletics and his Paralympic bubble appeared to have burst.
Whilst Weir sat at home during the summer of 2000, in Sydney, Tanni Grey-Thompson won four Gold medals at a single Paralympic Games, which was a British record at the time. This was a pivotal moment for him, and the urge to train and to become an Olympic champion was back on the horizon. He was inspired by the achievements of Baroness Grey-Thompson and his quest to medal at a Paralympic Games began again.
In 2002, Weir stormed to his first London Marathon victory, an event which he is now a co-record holder in with Baroness Grey-Thompson for most victories. Added to this were his victories in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, and in this incredible year of sport, 2012. The cheering crowd was a teaser for the avalanche of support which would lift many British athletes to greatness in the Olympic and Paralympic year including the Wallington man.
A lot of the credit for his success is given to his family by David Weir, for his grounded upbringing and the fact that he was treated in the same manner as his brothers. This support, coupled with the expertise of Archer, his coach, and lottery funding, has seen him gain various triumphs along the way to Paralympic glory. He has won four Great North Run titles since 2003 too, the last coming two years ago, to establish himself as one of the dominant wheelchair racers over the half-marathon distance.
In 2004, a rejuvenated Weir finally medalled at a Paralympic Games. In Athens, he achieved Silver in the T54 100m, and a Bronze in the T54 200m. The medals were a grand achievement for Weir the athlete, as he had proved that when you put your mind to something and have the determination to succeed, then dreams can come true. Obviously he wanted to be a Paralympic champion. However, after sitting at home watching the Sydney games on television, the two medals were priceless, and ultimately provided further motivation to gain the colour of medal that he wanted the most.
In Beijing, Weir headlined the Athletics programme for Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in which he won the only two gold medals for the team. The 13th September 2008, in the Birds’ Nest Stadium was a landmark day in the athletics career of David Weir. He finally won the gold medal that he had trained so hard for, in the T54 800m. Three days later, he won again in the 1500m by the narrowest of margins, 0.15 seconds. David Weir was now one of the most high profile Paralympic athletes in Britain. He now knew there was a home Paralympic Games in four years’ time, in his home city. The quest to medal in front of a home crowd was certainly worth all the training.
Four years on from his Beijing master class, Weir was entered for the T54 800m, 1500m, 5000m and the marathon. The schedule of events was blood-bursting to the ordinary athlete but this was what faced the ‘Weir-Wolf’. He had ten days to attempt to win four gold medals and match the record of Tanni Grey-Thompson who he had watched forlornly in 2000 at home. Twelve years on, David Weir was about to embark on one of the finest set of displays witnessed, not just in Paralympic Sport but British sport in general.
After comfortably negotiating his heat in front of an 80,000 crowd for a morning session, he returned to the evening session on the 2nd September 2012, in one of the most intoxicating 5000m races ever. His race followed the dramatic defeat of Oscar Pistorius by Alan Oliveira. The atmosphere was tense but it stoked up the perfect conditions for a moment of sporting genius. For just over 11 minutes, a peak audience of nearly 4 million people watched Weir storm to a stunning 5000m victory in 11:07.65. Weir said before the games that he would have been happy with one gold. In the form that he showed in that race, it was glaringly obvious that British fans would have more to celebrate from the South London man.
If one gold medal was not enough, in the next four days, David Weir would elevate himself to another level and would give a new meaning to his nickname, the ‘Weir-Wolf’. Firstly, he defended his 1500m title with relative ease in 3:12.09 but it was in his 800m, where he would achieve public acclaim for a wonderful third gold medal. Weir sat behind the Chinese athlete for most of the race, in an ideal position, before making his move and powering his way to gold. With his chest pushed out and a cry of joy, which was lost within the cacophony of noise inside the Olympic Stadium, Weir enjoyed his lap of honour which was an accolade he was getting used to. It is the moment every athlete has dreamed of; the perfect race at the perfect time.
The South London athlete had already exceeded his own expectations but with the marathon to be held on the final day of the magnificent London Paralympic Games, Weir had the chance to win gold and hear the national anthem for the last time during London’s Games. It was to be his crowning glory and the culmination of a dream as a youngster. The disappointment of what could have been in Sydney was wiped away. The London man came home to win the cherished Gold medal. He is adored by millions and he is one of many Paralympic athletes who have risen to prominence in Britain. He, alongside fellow four times gold medallist in London, Sarah Storey, carried the flag at the Closing ceremony of the Paralympics, a ceremonial honour for an athlete. His achievements have been witnessed by millions, and whether he chooses to continue to Rio 2016, or move on and look after his family, is a choice which will be respected by his fans.
It is fitting to define David Weir as a Paralympic legend. However, more importantly, his prolific career should portray him as a true British sporting great.
