27 September 2024
Dan Bethell is already eager about how he could make his second near-miss silver at Paris 2024 a constructive.
The Tokyo silver medallist was trying to improve his place on the rostrum this outing however got here up brief in his quest for the final word prize throughout a nail-biting encounter with India’s Kumar Nitesh.
Whereas nonetheless eager about what may have been, the Bathtub-born badminton star is hungrier than ever to make sure the sensation doesn’t linger as he seems forward to brighter days.
“The primary level of going to Paris was to get a medal and win gold,” he stated. “I got here up brief and I nonetheless have a bittersweet feeling.
“Having a gold medal level, I couldn’t have been a lot nearer,” he added. “It’s disappointing I misplaced. [My medal] is the fallacious color however that provides me a lot motivation for LA 2028.”
The 28-year-old isn’t any novice to the worldwide stage, having gained ParalympicsGB’s first-ever badminton medal in Tokyo, however whereas the sting of defeat stays, he’s taking the positives from Paris too.
Trying again on the latest Paralympic Video games Badminton England couldn’t be prouder of all of the athletes representing @TeamGB! 🇬🇧
We glance again at how inspiring all our representatives had been on the match 👏#ASportForEveryone pic.twitter.com/1xJrcIQmiM
— Badminton England (@BadmintonEnglnd) September 27, 2024
“The entire Paris expertise was superb,” he stated. “The additional away it will get, there’s an elevated feeling of delight.
“The comparability to Tokyo was big. There have been strict Covid restrictions at that Video games so to have the crowds in Paris was superb, they had been so enthusiastic about badminton. It was surreal to stroll on the market in entrance of everybody.
“Probably the greatest elements was having household and buddies there too,” he added. “We had an amazing British contingent within the crowd – we had been all the time searching for British flags.”
Whereas Bethell missed the opening ceremony, which fell the evening earlier than his opening match, he did have the possibility to completely embrace the Paralympic spirit after his personal competitors ended.
Bethell was in attendance as teammate Krysten Coombs upgraded bronze for silver in an electrifying match with French hope Charles Noakes.
“Krysten’s’ remaining was the spotlight of the entire Video games for me,” Bethell stated. “Simply sitting there and listening to the nationwide anthem belted out – it was an unbelievable expertise to see how the group had taken to it and the way far the game has come.
“That was the epitome of the Video games, however the closing ceremony gave me an opportunity to replicate on how proud I used to be to be in Paris and be a Paralympian too.”
Paralympic Video games 2024
Bethell and his workforce are on a well-earned coaching break however he believes time away from the game has given him the possibility to replicate on the hard-fought journey that carried him to Paris.
“Simply off the again of Tokyo and dropping the ultimate there, that was exhausting to take,” he stated. “I bounced again from that properly and had a extremely sturdy three-year run – I solely misplaced two matches in that three-year stint.
“It’s simply unlucky these had been within the World Championship and Paralympic finals,” he added. “I used to be within the type of my life, I went unbeaten for 18 months to 2 years and was actually happy with the build-up and journey. I do know I labored exhausting.”
An invite to Downing Road meant the get together didn’t cease as Bethell and his fellow Paralympic and Olympic friends landed again on house turf, as a choose quantity joined Prime Minister Keir Starmer for celebrations at No. 10.
“I had an e-mail saying ‘The Prime Minister invitations Daniel Bethell to a reception at Downing Road’ and initially I assumed it was spam,” he stated.
“There have been 50-60 athletes throughout the Olympics and Paralympics there, and it was superb to undergo the iron gates after which stroll by means of the door that’s so well-known.
What a yr it’s been for Badminton in England 🤩
We’re so happy with all of the superb achievements since launching our technique final yr and we are able to’t look ahead to what lies forward!https://t.co/M1U9AUjETk
— Badminton England (@BadmintonEnglnd) September 26, 2024
“I used to be trying round to see if there was a memento, however the safety was actually tight,” he added. “As quickly as we obtained by means of the door, we needed to hand over a cellphone immediately and there have been eyes in all places.
“It was good to satisfy Olympic athletes and commerce notes. I used to be fortunate sufficient to satisfy Keir Starmer and he reiterated how proud the nation was of all of us. That meant so much to me.”
After a summer season of labor – and a few well-deserved play, subsequent up on the agenda for Bethell is a transfer from Sheffield again to his house metropolis of Bathtub, the place he’ll construct in direction of LA 2028.
“I used to coach out of Bathtub College earlier than I moved as much as Sheffield,” he stated. “I’ll nonetheless work very carefully with the programme in Sheffield however the plan is to construct into and qualify for LA.
“I’ve heard rumours of how large it’s going to be,” he added. “Somebody even instructed me there shall be three completely different villages, so I can see the USA doing it larger.
“We noticed a few gamers from America in Paris they usually had the identical package because the Olympic workforce, so there’s extra funding going into it. I’m positive they may wish to placed on a present.”
