Class of ParalympicsGB
Our interviewers are on a journey to learn more about ParalympicsGB athletes and their stories - asking questions in a way that only kids can.
Meet Oliver, Anya and Ella | Part One
Meet 9-year-old Ella and 6-year-old Anya who ask a heartwarming variety of questions to ParalympicsGB wheelchair fencer, Oliver Lam-Watson. Join us as the sisters quiz Oliver on topics such as growing up with siblings and getting started in wheelchair fencing.
Oliver discusses how his mindset changed overtime. From disliking sport due to feeling different, Oliver is now passionate about redefining what is possible when living with a disability.
Are you going to do the snap?
Action!
Hi, I'm Ella, and I'm nine years old, Anya - and I'm six.
He has black hair.
He's a fencer.
So the other way around Yeah.
Perfect.
Very kind.
Joyful.
Class of Paralympics GB Mine.
As you know, my name's Ella and my name's Anya.
And we’re gonna ask you a few questions If you don't mind?
Great.
Thank you.
We met earlier but my name's Oliver Lam-Watson I’m a Paralympic wheelchair fencer.
And I'm hoping that your questions aren't too hard and you're not going to grill me too much!
But, yeah, I'm excited.
Let's go!
Do you have any siblings?
Yes, I do.
I've got one brother and two sisters, but they're all older than me, so I'm the youngest.
Did they ever annoy you when you were younger?
Are they going to watch this?
A little bit, maybe.
Anya is my sister.
She talks a lot and she gets up quite early.
Anya.
How old were you when you started fencing?
I actually started fencing really late.
I started after university at 25.
Do you support a football team?
I don't actually watch a lot of sport.
Like I'm not actually a big sports person.
Maybe Arsenal.
Manchester?
Leeds?
Newcastle - is the best team!
They’re one of my favorite teams!
What is your favourite food?
My favourite food I would have to say is my mum's tuna pasta Jalapeños in it - so it’s a little bit spicy and it was absolutely wonderful it was like my comfort meal What about you guys - what do you like?
Chilli wraps!
Chilli wraps?
Like as in - chilli con carne?
It’s chilli, rice.
in a wrap!
Did you like sports when you were younger?
I think sport when I was younger because of my leg and my disability had a great way of.
highlighting my differences and kind of showcasing what I couldn't do compared to some of the other kids.
I was always picked last for the football team and I really hated sport for that reason and I think now it's become a way of me sort of taking back control of my body and my leg again and kind of redefining what's possible living with a disability So, sport’s really given me a lot and it’s changed my life massively.
Have you guys got any more questions for me?
Meet Oliver, Anya and Ella | Part Two
Join us for Part two of our Class of ParalympicsGB as Ella and Anya continue to quiz wheelchair fencer, Oliver Lam-Watson.
The sisters speak with Oliver about everything from Oliver s most used sword, to the meaning behind the Paralympic badge, and winning bronze at the 2020 Paralympic games in Tokyo.
En garde!
Prêts?
Allez!
I do French classes at school.
Class of Paralympics GB What is the Paralympic Badge?
It's actually an agitos It's Greek.
And it means movement.
It means action.
So whatever you impairment might be, to actually be active, to move and to go out there and to go out there En garde!
Prêts?
Allez!
Great!
The last Paralympics in Tokyo was amazing.
Did you get any medals?
I did.
I brought one, actually.
I can show you guys if you want to see it?
You can see there on the bottom it says ‘Wheelchair Fencing’ So this we got in the team event in épée.
Do you guys wanna hold it?
It’s heavy!
Yeah, it’s heavy isn’t it?
You know, it's made from old mobile phones.
Really?
You know, like little metal bits inside the mobile phone.
They melt those down and they made these medals out of it In Braille as well.
Yeah - and on the side as well you can see there are three dots because it's third.
Is that the badge?
Yeah that's the Paralympic symbol.
It's very heavy.
It's very heavy.
Yeah it is isn't it.
What is your most used sword?
I love foil.
So there are three types of sword There’s the foil there’s the épée and there’s the sabre For me, my favourite sword is the foil and it's where you can only hit on the torso.
And it's the one I showed you guys earlier.
You can have so much fun with it because you can kind of do a lot of amazing, creative things.
It's very dynamic and the actions that you can do are very beautiful.
So for me, that’s fencing!
Not just in front, but also on the sides and on the back.
If you could change one thing in society for people in wheelchairs, what would it be?
I think if I had to change one thing, I think it would be to help people understand that we're all human.
We're all just people.
And yes, we have differences in the way we walk, in the way we move, But at the end of the day, we're all just people and we’re all the same.
We've run out of questions.
Well, thank you guys for having me.
I appreciate it.
I hope that you guys enjoyed it as much as I did.
I think you were maybe less nervous than me.
Thank you.
Thank you, guys.
It's a pleasure.
Life as a Paralympian | Part One
You don't want to miss this one. Zach and Josh are the first two members of our Class of ParalympicsGB taking to the floor to quiz Paralympic Taekwondo fighter, Joe Lane.
Our twins speak with Joe about everything from his sport, to disability and life experiences to crushes, as well as his preparation for Paris 2024.
Would you guys ever do taekwondo?
It depends if it’s easy or hard.
I'll practice on him.
My mom says we're not allowed to punch and kick each other, but what if we told her that we were practicing our taekwondo?
Umm.
I don't want to get on the bad side of your mum.
I would listen to mum all the time and do it at a good gym, that can teach you the right way to do it and do it safely.
Hi, guys.
You okay?
Yeah.
I'm Joe Lane.
Paralympic taekwondo fighter.
Nice to meet you.
What's your guys’ name?
I’m Zach.
I’m Josh.
He's Josh.
I'm Zach.
Nice to meet you guys.
Nice to meet you too.
You can ask me anything you like guys.
What is taekwondo?
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art.
It's like one of the combat sports in the Paralympics.
Do you ever get injured?
Yeah, That's one of the biggest things.
We do get injured a lot.
Luckily, we have Bupa to help us out when we do get injured to fix us.
Do you guys do any sports?
We like playing football.
Sometimes I play basketball with my friends.
Nice.
Is there any tips you would give anyone who’d wanna start taekwondo?
I think that most people who start it would really enjoy it because it's something very different.
And just stick with it and try and enjoy it and don't be scared to, like, fall over and make mistakes.
Just give it your best and have fun.
What's your favourite moment in your career of doing it?
I would say winning the Europeans in Manchester with my family watching, That was probably my favourite moment.
Have you got any medals?
Yeah, I've got quite a few medals.
My favourite medal is probably my European Championship medal.
Behind that is probably my silver medal at the World Championships.
Where are the next Paralympics going to be taking place.
They're going to be taking place in 2024 in Paris.
Are you going to be competing in that?
Currently as it stands yeah, I'll be going.
A lot can change, but I should be there.
Hopefully.
Will you guys watch taekwondo in the next Paralympics?
Yes.
I’ll watch it, yeah.
Thanks.
Will you teach us some?
Yeah, of course.
Life as a Paralympian | Part Two
Join us for Part two as our Class of ParalympicsGB members Zach and Josh continue to quiz Paralympian and Paris 2024 hopeful Joe Lane.
Our twins speak with Joe about everything from growing up with a disability to his most embarrassing moment.
What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you?
In Taekwondo?
In my personal life, I don't know if I can disclose that on camera!
Have you ever needed to go to the toilet in the middle of a fight?
In the middle of a fight?
No.
What does Paralympian mean to you?
For me, that means you're excellent at something that you do and you've been able to represent your country in that and compete in the Paralympics.
So I would say that it just means like, it means excellence really.
Were you born with your disability?
So I was born two months premature, so I was very small, and then I got really ill, and then I ended up losing my arm, just after I was born.
For me, it feels like I've always had it and I was basically born with it because I was so little when it happened.
Is it easy playing video games?
Yeah, it's pretty easy.
I just grab the controller with one hand and then use this arm to like, use the analogue stick and stuff.
For me it's just like, you just adapt, which is really strange but it’s very natural yeah.
Do you think people should be treated the way they are treated?
I don't.
Someone who's disabled might stand out amongst like a crowd of people, but I think it's a bit unfair that people will be treated differently because they are different.
But then everyone in the world is different.
So we should all be treated the same.
We're all still humans.
We're all really the same.
What do you think the word disability means in a way?
I think it just means that somebody is different to what people may be used to.
Just someone might have a different situation to what we would say a regular person is.
In some terms people might see it as like a superpower, like for example, for me it enables me to perform at a high level in sport.
So for other people, it might enable them to be like really good at maths or really good at other things.
So yeah, I just think it's just a difference in things.
Who's your favourite superhero?
Spider-Man.
Spider-Man.
Spider-Man, same!
If you could have one superpower for a day, what would you have?
Fly.
Or time control.
Time control!
If anything bad happened I would go back in time and then just act like it never happened.
Okay.
How do you think people can make things better for people with disabilities?
That's a tough question.
Just the acceptance of it, people just being more aware of it.
Getting younger people, the younger generation used to people with disabilities maybe watching the Paralympics or something with disabled people in it so they can get used to it and understand it.
In the past have you guys had any experiences with disabled people or have any friends that have disabilities?
I've met people who have disabilities, but I've never really like, annoyed anyone.
I've accepted them for who they are because at the end of the day they're just like us.
Humans.
Have you got anyone that you like?
Like a girlfriend or boyfriend?
Yes, I have a girlfriend.
How about you guys?
Any ladies or guys you like?
I have a crush.
Have you spoke to her?
Does she know that you got a crush on her?
Yeah I sent her Valentine’s gifts.
I got her a card, chocolates and flowers.
Nice.
She ate all the chocolates straight away!
We are #TeamHealth
Follow two people on very different but equally important personal health journeys – both supported by Bupa over 12 months.
Emmanuel’s story
Emmanuel is a hopeful Paralympian faced with occasional self-doubt. Follow his quest to beat his personal best and make the ParalympicsGB team for Paris 2024
Julie’s story
After years of struggling with her weight, Julie decided to put her health first. Follow her journey from diet changes to finally fitting into her dream dress.
Meet their mentor, Richard
From Paralympic gold in 2012 to breaking records at Tokyo 2020, Richard Whitehead MBE is a decorated athlete – and now he’s helping others.
Start your own journey
Our health experts and ParalympicsGB athletes are here to help support your journey to a healthier, happier you.
