Evergreen Stephen Miller insists he still has one more Paralympic Games left in the tank as he bids to book his spot at Paris 2024.
The Cramlington ace, who competes in the fields of club throw and discus, has won three gold, one silver and two bronze medals at the Paralympics throughout his remarkable career, making him one of the most successful Paralympians in British history.
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After winning club throw gold at three successive Games between 1996 and 2004, Miller’s most recent Paralympic honour was in Rio de Janeiro, where he earned a bronze medal with a season’s best throw of 31.58m.
Despite an already distinguished and decorated career, Miller, 42, is still raring to go ahead of the Paris showpiece in two years’ time, where he aims to compete in what would be his seventh appearance at the historic event.
“That’s my aim, to still be competing,” Miller said. “I still believe I can be competitive through it, and I’ve got to manage my body to get more out of it.
“I’ve been wanting to maintain good health and maintain my body so I can still enjoy this sport as I get older.
“I manage my expectations as I get older as well. But I want to keep training, to do the work. It motivates me to compete and see how well I can do.
“That’s what really drives me to still be doing this sport after over 25 years since my first Paralympics.”
Miller, who was born with cerebral palsy, burst onto the global scene at just 16 years of age, winning gold at his first Paralympics in Atlanta – a result that made him Great Britain’s youngest Paralympian or Olympian track and field competitor to win a gold medal at the time.
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And speaking on his rapid rise to glory, Miller added: “It happened really quickly.
“I competed as a junior, and then when I was 15, I started competing as an England senior in international competitions.
“I then went to the Paralympics at the age of 16, so it was a pretty quick transition [from junior to senior level] for me.
“It was a long time ago, but it all happened really quickly. Most of the time it can take a long time to make that transition.”
Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, is proud to be championing the next generation of British sporting heroes by providing talented young athletes with financial support and personal development opportunities in partnership with SportsAid. Visit entaingroup.com to find out more
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