Michael Taylor

Started: He took up Para triathlon in February 2017 at a Tri4Tokyo event held at Loughborough University in England. He received his first running blade in May 2017 and competed in his first triathlon two days later. He had begun swimming as part of his rehabilitation. (britishtriathlon.org, 14 Sep 2019; dorset-ortho.com, 01 Sep 2017) Reason: He was inspired to take up triathlon after watching British triathletes Alistair and Jonny Brownlee win gold and silver medals respectively at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. "I lost my leg in the summer of 2016, and watching triathlon on TV at the Olympics and Paralympics made me want to give it a go. I was looking for something else to do as I couldn't really play rugby any more. I signed up for a triathlon taster day in February 2017, and could do the swim and cycle okay, but I couldn't run properly as I didn't have a running blade. Even so, I really enjoyed it." (teambathtv YouTube channel, 14 May 2021; northdevongazette.co.uk, 11 Feb 2021; dorset-ortho.com, 01 Sep 2017) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Instagram profile, 25 Apr 2024) Additional Info: MEDICAL STUDIES In September 2020 he started the first year of a medical degree at the University of Bristol in England. He had originally planned to start the course after the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, but brought forward his plans when the Games were postponed. "I was really excited for 2020 because of everything that could've happened. I was pretty gutted with everything that went on, especially as for ages there didn't seem to be an end in sight. I'd been training full-time as part of the British Para triathlon performance squad in Loughborough since the previous November, but I decided to go back to studying after coronavirus hit. Studying medicine is something I've wanted to do since before I lost my leg, and the plan was always to pursue it after Tokyo. But with the postponement, I decided to bring it forward a year. I previously studied physiotherapy at Cardiff University, so a lot of that is relevant, and so far I'm really enjoying it." (bristol.ac.uk, 23 Jul 2021; northdevongazette.co.uk, 11 Feb 2021) OTHER ACTIVITIES He has served as a beach lifeguard with the British Royal National Lifeboat Institution and has trained in surf lifesaving. (britishtriathlon.org, 14 Sep 2019)