Barton’s Alice Tai ‘in shock’ after winning second gold at 2024 Paris Paralympics
BARTON’S Alice Tai clinched her second gold medal at the Paralympic Games, winning the Women’s S8 50m freestyle.
The former member of the New Milton-based Seagulls Swimming Club achieved a time of under 30 seconds for the first time since her amputation, touching the wall just ahead of Brazil’s Cecília Araújo and neutral Paralympic athlete Viktoriia Ishchiulova.
The Poole-born swimmer took her Paris medal tally to four after a silver in the 400m Freestyle following a 200m Individual Medley bronze and the 100m Backstroke title gold in a Paralympics record.
Her competitive return comes after an eight-year hiatus after deciding to have her leg amputated due to severe nerve damage in her elbows from using crutches.
Tai qualified for the final with the fastest time, but her rivals made the better start. However, once the nine-time world champion got into her stroke, she surged ahead in the final 25 metres to snatch a narrow four 10ths of a second victory with a 29.91 finish.
The 25-year-old, who enjoys doing art and recently graduated with a neuroscience degree, told Channel 4: “I can’t believe it, I’m still in shock, speechless. I can’t believe what just happened.
“I knew it was going to be a close race, and I thought someone might duck under 30 seconds, but I didn’t think it would be me.
“My starts have been so affected since my amputation, so it was a real shot in the dark as I don’t have that power off the start anymore.
“I just thought I’d go in there and see how it goes. My 50 free has been a bit hard, and my strokes have not been as balanced just because of the loss of my leg.
“I didn’t know I’d won until the girl next to me told me – I couldn’t see!”
The medal was Great Britain’s third of the night, following a gold for Rebecca Redfern and a silver for Iona Winnifrith, which made it 26 medals and 16 golds for GB in the pool.
Tai continued: “I did not expect a 29; I did not expect to win it. The neutral Para athlete [Ishchiulova] who came third said, ‘That’s the exact time that I won in Tokyo,’ which is really cool.
“I’m just shocked, and I’m not usually lost for words.”
After winning her second gold in Paris, Tai thanked her coach Dave Heathcock for helping rekindle her enjoyment of swimming.
“If we’re going off PBs that’s 0.60 off mine post-amputation which is insane on a 50m freestyle. Over half a second – I’m so excited to go and hug my coach!
“Dave’s literally the best coach I could ask for. I’ve worked with so many coaches and they’ve all been a fundamental part of my journey and I’m thankful for each and every one of them.
“When I moved to Ealing, I said to Dave 'I don’t really want to swim, I don’t like it, I want to quit but I don’t know what else to do with my life’. But he’s built me up from that 19-year-old that turned up on poolside to a 25-year-old that’s stood here today.
“I’m now enjoying my swimming more than ever, I’m loving swimming. I can’t believe how far I’ve come in the last couple of years. I’m mindblown."
The former Bournemouth Collegiate School pupil was born with bilateral talipes – or club feet – which led to 14 corrective surgeries before her 12th birthday.
Tai is not done yet at the 2024 Paralympic Games as she takes to the pool once again on the final day of swimming in the 100m butterfly tommorow (Saturday).
“I want to start training for next season already", she said. “But I’ve still got one race left, I just want to get back in the pool.”
