Scots Paralympic hopeful Fin Graham reveals plan to turn silver into gold in Paris

Fin Graham smashed the world record on his Paralympic debut three years ago - only for his breathtaking achievement to disappear almost as quickly as it arrived.

The Flying Scot bettered the C3 3000m individual pursuit global best which had stood for five years when he took to the track in Tokyo. But Graham still had to make do with a silver medal after GB team mate Jaco Van Gass followed up with his own record breaking ride moments later.

The same duo will fly the British flag in the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines cycling track as Afghanistan veteran Van Gass begins the defence of his title tomorrow. But Graham is hoping to turn the tables on his elder team mate pal.

The 24-year-old was born with two club feet and has no calf muscle on his right leg meaning he has to wear a splint. But since Tokyo he has become a six-time world champion and arrives in Paris with a very different status.

He said: “Since Tokyo my results have got better and better. I went into the last Paralympics without a big result on the track and just to get to go to the Games was an achievement with the strength of squad we had.

“My pb for the pursuit was 3.31 at the time which was on the verge of being competitive. But not where it needed to be to win medals.

“But we went to holding camp in Newport and I broke the world record at the time beating my pb by five seconds.

“I then went seven seconds quicker in Tokyo than I did in holding camp and broke the world record - I was like ‘what just happened there?!’ The world record had been held for five or six years and I had broken it.

“It was a short-lived world record to be fair as Jaco then broke mine five minutes later!

“We were on another level. Miles ahead of everyone else in the race. It was massively unexpected.

“When you realise you have a medal guaranteed it’s really special. You want to fight for the gold after that but I always knew Jaco would be the one to beat. He managed to pip me but it’s the closest I have ever been to him in the pursuit. To share the podium with him was special.”

Rivals on the track but pals off it. It’s a common feature of the ParalympicsGB squad. And Graham - who will also be looking to medal again in the men’s C1-3 road race where he goes against GB mate and defending champ Ben Watson - reckons it’s that dynamic which squeezes the best out of every competitor with a Union Jack on their chest.

He said: “It’s a good problem having your closest rival as your team mate because you push each other on. You know in training, if you are not going as well, you can look over. If he’s flying, it gives you that extra motivation to dig a little bit deeper. We push each other on.”

Graham has been on the fast track to success ever since his mum kicked off at a PE teacher for offering him a head start on school sports day. But he's has never looked for favours in the ferociously competitive world of elite level sport.

He said: “I don’t know any different. I’ve been lucky that my parents have provided me with the opportunity to do this.

“They have always encouraged me to try stuff. There was a point in primary school where my PE teacher wanted to give me a head start in a running race.

“I was obviously well up for that because I would probably have won! But my mum kicked off. She said absolutely not, I shouldn’t get any special treatment.

“Looking back that makes a difference. There’s no reason why I should have got that. I’ve not found anything I’m unable to do. I’ve learned to live with it to explore options and get to a Paralympics.

“I feel I’m coming into this Games a lot more confident. It’s my second time working towards it so I know the processes to go through. Ahead of Tokyo my best result was a bronze medal on the road at a world championships. This last three years I have taken massive steps forward.

"It’s six world titles and 13 medals in total now. It’s been a good couple of years. So I’m hoping to continue that and turn the silvers into golds in Paris. That would be the pinnacle.”

The Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome in Paris is sure to feel and sound a whole lot different to Tokyo three years ago. Back then covid meant there were no spectators in the arena.

He said: “Tokyo was my first experience so it was quite nice that I was able to concentrate on my performance without the whole crowd distraction and the hype.

“But now I know what processes to go through, I hope Paris will be a huge atmosphere. It’s as close to a home Games as you can get so I’d like to enjoy that.

Graham’s dream is being supported through National Lottery funding and he said: “The support is massive. We wouldn’t be able to do it without the help of the National Lottery. The funding they have invested into the team allows us to do what we do. Thousands of athletes on world class programmes are supported by the National Lottery. It helps fund training facilities, the camps, the coaches. It all helps us do what we do.”

• National Lottery players have transformed Cycling in the UK, with more than £215 million invested since National Lottery funding began. This supports training facilities and camps, coaches, physiotherapists, nutritionists, and psychologists. The funding is also invested in clubs, facilities, and programmes across the country to enable more people to take part in the sport at a grassroots level.