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An Okanagan athlete has had his mind set on the Rio Paralympics and his hard work and dedication have paid off because he just made Team Canada.
Tristan Smyth, a resident of Lake Country, will be racing in the 1,500-metre race and then Men’s 4 x 400-metre relay.
"It's something we've been preparing for, for the last few years. It's been in our mind that is where we are going to be going and that's what I was getting ready for," Smyth explained to KelownaNow.
The high-performance athlete broke his back in 2011 when he was downhill skateboarding. He has always been a lover of extreme sports, but because he doesn’t have the ankle control in his feet or the muscle function in his legs, he is unable to continue with that.
Instead, he created a love and passion for track and field.
Athletics Canada announced on Thursday morning the 24 athletes that have made Team Canada for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
Smyth is one of 15 men who were chosen for the team.
Smyth acknowledged that there is a misconception when it comes to the Paralympics compared to the Olympics.
"It is a difficult argument to make sometimes because the Paralympics has a long way to go in regards to certain classifications. There are those of us are competing at the high-performance level."
In a Facebook post, Smyth explained for him it’s being called an “athlete with a disability” or a “Para-athlete”. He said by being given a separate title, it is misunderstood that he is something lesser than, which he isn’t.
Smyth has been working for years to be a high-performance athlete, who has the capability of making it to the Paralympics. Knowing he has made it feels good he said, but he doesn’t want to jump up and down with happiness just yet.
"Right now is the time to train and get ready and be ready to perform my best and then I can get excited afterwards," Smyth said.
The local athlete will be leaving on Aug. 26, and will meet in Toronto with the rest of Team Canada. From there, the team will stay in Brazil for nearly two weeks before the games start to train. Then, the day before the opening ceremonies the team will move into the village.
Smyth has been training every day, sometimes twice a day, to prepare for having a Team Canada jersey on. He said a lot of his focus and training has gone into the 4 x 400-metre relay.
"Canada has a really strong team and being a part of that, I want to make sure I attribute my part to that team."
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