00:00Firstly, Richard, just tell us a bit about the roles that teachers played in your fantastic
00:07success, you know, throughout all those gold medals and how sort of important they were
00:12for you.
00:13I've been really fortunate enough to have so many people around me that have given me
00:17the tools and the support that's needed for that success. I think the opportunity that
00:24we have at this present time, it's about kind of giving back to those individuals that have
00:30supported me with their timeless support and showing how thankful we are for that success.
00:36And how good are the Games for actually inspiring the next generation? Obviously, London 2012
00:41will have been watched by so many who are actually competing now in 2024.
00:47When I go around to sporting environments and school environments, showing the videos
00:52of London 2012, it's a great moment to share how we came together as a country to really
00:59support not just sport for Olympians and Paralympians, but also the legacy from that, whether it's
01:06new training facilities or coaching structures, or liberating children around the possibilities.
01:14That's why it's really important that when we put on those tracksuits, we feel it's more
01:19than just the sport. It's about the legacy we leave. And that is so important.
01:25And France being so close, there's an opportunity to jump on the train or jump on the ferry
01:31over to France and actually watch some high level sport. Or when the successful athletes
01:38come back into your community, really celebrate that success and be liberated to be a sportsman
01:43or woman in the future.
01:44You know, the wonderful thing about the Olympics, the Paralympics that every athlete would say
01:47is the fact that it's the multi-sport feel. You walk in with people from your own country
01:52in the same kit, you know, something very wonderfully kind of patriotic and exciting
01:57about wearing the flag and having the rings on the kit. And you're walking in with fellow
02:04swimmers and tennis players and divers and archers and track and field and all these
02:09different sports you wouldn't normally spend time with. You are one team.
02:13Yeah, I'll be trying to take it in as much as I can because of the experience, but I'll
02:19be very much so there with the mindset of I am the one who is going to become Olympic
02:23champion. Being in Paris is just a little short trip over the water. The time difference
02:28isn't a lot. And yeah, I wouldn't mind wherever it is. Any competition I've been to in Paris
02:33has been quite well run and there's loads of fans and they're very vocal. So I think
02:37it'll be a good, it's a good place to have a type of competition.
02:42Because I felt like the kind of 12, 13 year old kid again that was like dreaming that
02:47this could happen. I mean, I was up against two of the best paddlers in the world to earn
02:52my spot. Only one can go for each country. And it just so happens in Britain that we've
02:56got three of us that are all winning medals at senior level.
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