“We want everybody to have an enjoyable experience”, said 20-year veteran of Paralympic wheelchair rugby Jonathan Craggon, when I asked him about team spirit going into the Paris games. Clearly, this attitude did not extend to the opposition. The Steelers (Australia) once again met with disappointment and defeat. This morning, when faced with an increasingly confident Team GB with a final score of 58-55, Craggon helped team GB steal victory from the Steelers once again. There must have been a sense of déjà vu for the Aussie side, who were one of the favourites to win gold four years ago, before Team GB’s memorable comeback in a nail-biting win against the US.
I asked him if the team were feeling the pressure when it came to defending their gold medal and was met with a confident answer:
“I would say we don’t change anything mentally. Why not a double gold. Why not: we are very capable.”
Craggon was not alone in this quiet sense of self-confidence. After the game, teammate Gavin Walker said:
“I think it is one of the better GB performances we’ve had in recent history. We are very impressed with our performance, but we feel as though that is how GB play now, something that we are starting to build confidence in.”
Although deservedly confident in their abilities Jonathan was quick to point out just how tightly contested this year’s medals would be:
“I think this tournament… as far as I can remember, has been the … closest in terms of the number of teams at the top… So we wouldn’t put any other team – sort of expect them to be a walkover or anything in this tournament.”
If anyone was in a position to make that comparison it would be Jonathan. On his way to college in 2000 he sustained a spinal cord injury and watched the 2000 Sydney games from his hospital bed. By 2002 he was playing on the Team GB development squad and in 2004 represented Team GB in Athens. He’s been a constant fixture on the wheelchair rugby team ever since.
The softly-spoken man I interviewed seemed to be at odds with what you might expect from a murder ball star, but as the commentator said in today’s game against Australia, “He always seems to be in the right place at the right time”, showcasing wheelchair rugby’s tactical reality versus its brutal image.
He says his love for the sport has not changed since he first played in 2000. Throughout our talk, he referenced the need for new players to enjoy the sport as much at the top level as they do for their clubs.
“I think that element of fun, even in training when we spice it up and just do something for fun keeps it interesting and light-hearted. “
I asked him what his favourite moment to come out of his Paralympic success was:
“We’ve been to Canada and America and all these extra places that we wouldn’t otherwise go to and wouldn’t otherwise go to as a team.”
This down-to-earth attitude might just be what the team needs to defend their gold medal, despite an intimidating reputation as the defending champions and a confident start in their first match against the world champions.
The team is not without some potential weaknesses. Between cycles, the team has lost some of its standout players from Tokyo, like Jim Roberts and Chris Ryan. In the words of Gavin Walker, “It takes time to build a team from the ground up. The team is nothing like it was then.”
Coaches in any sport will tell you that maintaining a team’s success between rebuilds relies on the continuation of a positive culture, making veteran players like Jonathan a linchpin, a role he seems to enjoy.
“There’s always been an eagerness from new players to come in and do their best and, us as … senior players or role models, if you will, would sort of show them the way.” Although he himself was characteristically quick to point out, “But I think that’s been a legacy that’s been passed on from previous players, even some that are still around at their club level.”
Chuck Aovki of the US team recently said on Instagram, “I want to win my gold medal back”, so it certainly seems like Team GB will have a target on their back. But then again, Graham from the Steelers said this Games would reignite the golden era of Australian wheelchair rugby, but and Jonathan and the team didn’t let that happen today.
Will the combination of experience and new blood be enough for Jonathan and the team to come away with another gold? We’ll find out at 10.30am tomorrow.
by Harry Smith, ADJ SFJ Student