September 21, 2024 • 10 mins
Two decades, a simple team talk and a gold medal.
This weekend the 2004 Wheel Blacks are reuniting to celebrate their feat from 20 years ago at the Athens Paralympics, when they won wheelchair rugby gold.
Coach of the winning side Grant Sharman joined Piney to reminisce about the win and share what he said to the side ahead of the match.
“Enjoy what you're doing. Sorry, process stick to process, but the biggie was have fun, have fun out there. You know, you never know when you're back, and they did.”
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalks EDB, the Voice of Sport on your home
of Sport. Weekend Sport with Jason Vine and GJ. Gunner Holmes,
New Zealand's most trusted home builder, News.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Talks EDB eighteen to three. This weekend, the wheel Blacks
are celebrating the twentieth anniversary of their gold medal winning
success at the two thousand and four Athens Paralympics. Grant
Sharman was coach of the team, having captained the Whelblacks
to bronze medals at the Paralympic Games in nineteen ninety
six and two thousand. Grant Sharmans with us, Grant, if
(00:43):
we look back to two thousand and four and going
into the Athens Paralympics having won bronze in ninety six
and bronze again in two thousand, what were your ambitions
going to Athens?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Well, actually it really started from two thousand and two,
so I retired as two thousand and three, Beery, who's
office the coach, took the boys up to Sweden to
the World champs and we came sex first time. The
team with other medals. I was just insensed by this
because I knew we were a better team and for
some reason, you know, I felt like to make a
(01:14):
difference in ib coates, which was quite funny really because
I never coked before, so talk about hubris. But anyway,
we got the job, and really what Barry did. He
gave us a guy called Actually Light and Malcolm Humm
actually our sports site. Malcolm was our conditioner, some pretty
good funding, and we really said about rebuilding the team,
and I think everyone realized that we've don't to perform.
(01:37):
We had the goods and there was this a whole
different approach we've been Those top two inches is what
we'd lacked, and Ashley Light gave us, really gave us
those top two inches which got us through.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
So you get up there and Paul play, you lose
to the United States. Even after that lost, did you
still feel us though? You could go all the way.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
So the US game was actually pivotal. Now what we
were realized is we won three of the quarters, lost
the second quarter with a lineup that had been doing well,
but we just didn't perform. And I was curious we
should have won that game. You know, I was a
pretty grumpy coach going in and it was one of
those verriccasions where a selection proved the difference. So we've
(02:21):
got one player, real good player, replaced him with another
player who had the team ethos and his comments around
knocking on court, but his heart was good. Just dissolved
the moment and I think was one of the key
things the Saviors. But what it did do is it
put the US on a collision course with the Canadians
and we then would end up playing the Britains in
(02:42):
the other semila. And then anyone knows anything about US
Canadian relations people with sport, they actually hate each other
as a blood bath and it was a beautiful thing to.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Watch watching them beat each other up in the other semi.
Wasn't a surprise though, grant to see Canada win through
that it was them you would face in the gold
medal mat in the match and not the United States.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Well a little surprised, Yes, I think this is weird.
This docco Murdible was being filmed at the same time
in the Americans, with the main focus of that with
Joe saw As a former US coach who was down
coaching Canada. So they were all focused on that and
I wonder whether maybe they lost their focus a little bit,
the distraction, et cetera. But I guess it was one
(03:25):
of those games that the Canadians decided they were going
to win it. The Yanks probably already saw themselves in
the final. It didn't happen, and so well, that's who
we're facing. I didn't care who faced. I knew we
had the team to do it. But at the end
of the day, you know, these gold medal matches stre
up for grabs, and we've heard the All Blacks and
(03:47):
the Blackburns and all these teams talk about, you know,
three season at the moment on the day we did,
they didn't.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
So let's go back to your semi final. Then it
was great Britain who you faced. They were unbeaten coming
into the semi final. You won that thirty nine to
thirty five to make the gold medal match. Tell us
about the semi final.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
So it was a really quite a bizarre game. So
there one really there's some good players, one real standout player,
and we were a little concerned because when you get
in the quarters and semis and things must when games.
It didn't go wrong, but on the day the guys
just fired and so it sounds like a training run,
but we targeted this guy and we gave him absolute
(04:28):
hell and he kind of lost the plant of it,
and that was really the destruction. And in the end,
if I remember talking about that game except being yeah,
it was pretty good to beat the poems, I said
with that, but it wasn't really a maker. But it
didn't need the same memories as obviously the gold medal game.
(04:48):
It really we won quite easily and I was like,
oh yeah, job.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Done, all right, and on to the gold medal game
Canada thirty one twenty nine grant that feels close to me?
Was it close?
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Oh? Yes? So just a fun rugby effect. So in
the game, and I think you would have seen it
in the recent coverage of the Paralympics and Paris. You
want to score last at at the end of every quarter.
There's some good reason about that, but you want to
score last at the every quarter, and we did. We
(05:22):
were down the first quarter by I think it was two,
half time, down by one, three quarters with level and
then we went to win, but every time we scored last,
and then the you know when you shake hands at
the end, that the coach Joe Huge, and he said,
you bug uscored last every time. I said, I know,
good a job, but that's and that's really how that
(05:46):
game was won. But there was also one before that.
It was one in the approach we took, and that
you know that the mental skills that the team had,
we changed the way we played from the first three
games to the knockout games. One of the stories which
has been known to bring me to tears a little bit.
The guys would pay music on the way there and
(06:09):
it was just awful. It was I have no idea
was that. It was just terrible. And one day I
said to look for was it s a little bit
of Neil Diamond Sweet Caroline before it became the world,
before it became the world's anthem. And they just said, look,
you cakes who worded the music? That was all fine.
On the way to the final they played the stupid music.
Get to the gates here and the music goes off,
(06:30):
and I said, rap, what's going wrong here? And then
they start playing Sweet Caroline. The whole bus was singing,
and we got to the to the gates, to the
entrance of the gym, claim to the door. Now I'm
going awkward were still singing and as we get off
on first off and I said, the Canadian boys blood
a good day for a final and they just thought
we lost our lolly and gone for it. But it
(06:50):
spoke to the to the approach to the guys. They
were quietly confident. They know they're doing the work. And
my team talk before was the game was pretty simple,
enjoy what you're doing. Sorry, process, stick the process. But
the biggie was have fun, help fight out there. You
know you even know when you're back, and they did.
And I but if on the side, I love that.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
What a great story. So you won gold. How for
you personally? How did winning gold as coach compared to
winning bronze twice as a player.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Well, I think the gold, because it is a gold,
really stood out. And I think my time as a
coach I enjoyed more of a player and I love
playing played with bost of those guys and look we
had them. We did some pretty good cool stuff. But
I think the being part of a team, and and
(07:46):
to be clear, my role was more around molding things,
you know, all the brains was being other tecticians and
ashing these guys. My job was to make sure. The
environment was good and the lead up and the environment
was good at the tournament, and it was just such
a great feeling of achievement. We set out to do it.
We've done everything. And I remember, you know, we'd scored
(08:09):
to put us one ahead, turned the ball over, scored again.
I looked at the clock. There's like three seconds to go,
thirty one, twenty nine, and I thought, I think we
won those. You know, I'm not that smart to illus Jason,
and and I just made this real sense of calm
and oh it wasn't that hard, but of course it was.
It was hugely hard, but there was just sense of serenity.
(08:31):
And I just remember thinking versus great, just a ps
that notes in the village that night, obviously that a
couple of years in Eshni, we having a quiet and
there and the guys at the front, and I planned
to retire. That's what we've done, you know. And then
they started going, oh, we're going to defend it in Beijing.
And then I stopped drinking. I as well, we'll we'll
hang on, fellow, what's all this about. No, we're going
(08:53):
to defend it in Beijing. I said, well, you have
the World Champs until you start, Yeah, we're gonna do
that too as well. He's going to coach it. Well
you are, said, I don't think so. Four years later,
another four.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Years in my life gone, brilliant stuff. And there we
are tweety years on from your gold medal feats in Athens,
and you're all getting together or most of you are
you I don't know. Is it like most sports teams
when you get together twenty years on from a big
achievement or any period of time on, do you reckon?
The stories of how you won those gold medals will
be I don't know, exaggerated a little bit over the weekend.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
So if you've think of the Airwish New Zealand fishermen,
the goals we scored will have been done on one
wheel with half a hand behind the back. The efforts
will be magnified, and we all agree that's the way
it happened. So absolutely, I mean, Jason, anyone's been in
(09:46):
any kind of team that that level knows that bullshit
that gets talked will just be amplified. It's going to
be a great time. And yeah, we're going to rewrite
the record books and how we actually run.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Now that's the reason for getting together, Grant. That's the
reason for getting together to celebrate these things. So I
hope you and the rest of the team from two
thousand and four have an absolutely brilliant weekend. I hope
the stories are exaggerated and told long into the night.
You deserve it. A pervotal moment in our Paralympic history,
the gold medal that the Whirlblacks won twenty years ago
in Athens in two thousand and four. Great to chat mate.
(10:17):
Thanks for taking the time.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
Thanks Jase, I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Now I appreciate your time, Grant, Grunt Shalman. They're the
coach of the team that won gold medal, the gold
medal at the Paralympic Games in two thousand and four
in wheelchair rugby. Getting together across the weekend to reminiscently.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine. Listen live
to News Talk zed B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalks EDB, the Voice of Sport on your home
of Sport. Weekend Sport with Jason Vine and GJ. Gunner Holmes,
New Zealand's most trusted home builder, News.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Talks EDB eighteen to three. This weekend, the wheel Blacks
are celebrating the twentieth anniversary of their gold medal winning
success at the two thousand and four Athens Paralympics. Grant
Sharman was coach of the team, having captained the Whelblacks
to bronze medals at the Paralympic Games in nineteen ninety
six and two thousand. Grant Sharmans with us, Grant, if
(00:43):
we look back to two thousand and four and going
into the Athens Paralympics having won bronze in ninety six
and bronze again in two thousand, what were your ambitions
going to Athens?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Well, actually it really started from two thousand and two,
so I retired as two thousand and three, Beery, who's
office the coach, took the boys up to Sweden to
the World champs and we came sex first time. The
team with other medals. I was just insensed by this
because I knew we were a better team and for
some reason, you know, I felt like to make a
(01:14):
difference in ib coates, which was quite funny really because
I never coked before, so talk about hubris. But anyway,
we got the job, and really what Barry did. He
gave us a guy called Actually Light and Malcolm Humm
actually our sports site. Malcolm was our conditioner, some pretty
good funding, and we really said about rebuilding the team,
and I think everyone realized that we've don't to perform.
(01:37):
We had the goods and there was this a whole
different approach we've been Those top two inches is what
we'd lacked, and Ashley Light gave us, really gave us
those top two inches which got us through.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
So you get up there and Paul play, you lose
to the United States. Even after that lost, did you
still feel us though? You could go all the way.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
So the US game was actually pivotal. Now what we
were realized is we won three of the quarters, lost
the second quarter with a lineup that had been doing well,
but we just didn't perform. And I was curious we
should have won that game. You know, I was a
pretty grumpy coach going in and it was one of
those verriccasions where a selection proved the difference. So we've
(02:21):
got one player, real good player, replaced him with another
player who had the team ethos and his comments around
knocking on court, but his heart was good. Just dissolved
the moment and I think was one of the key
things the Saviors. But what it did do is it
put the US on a collision course with the Canadians
and we then would end up playing the Britains in
(02:42):
the other semila. And then anyone knows anything about US
Canadian relations people with sport, they actually hate each other
as a blood bath and it was a beautiful thing to.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Watch watching them beat each other up in the other semi.
Wasn't a surprise though, grant to see Canada win through
that it was them you would face in the gold
medal mat in the match and not the United States.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Well a little surprised, Yes, I think this is weird.
This docco Murdible was being filmed at the same time
in the Americans, with the main focus of that with
Joe saw As a former US coach who was down
coaching Canada. So they were all focused on that and
I wonder whether maybe they lost their focus a little bit,
the distraction, et cetera. But I guess it was one
(03:25):
of those games that the Canadians decided they were going
to win it. The Yanks probably already saw themselves in
the final. It didn't happen, and so well, that's who
we're facing. I didn't care who faced. I knew we
had the team to do it. But at the end
of the day, you know, these gold medal matches stre
up for grabs, and we've heard the All Blacks and
(03:47):
the Blackburns and all these teams talk about, you know,
three season at the moment on the day we did,
they didn't.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
So let's go back to your semi final. Then it
was great Britain who you faced. They were unbeaten coming
into the semi final. You won that thirty nine to
thirty five to make the gold medal match. Tell us
about the semi final.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
So it was a really quite a bizarre game. So
there one really there's some good players, one real standout player,
and we were a little concerned because when you get
in the quarters and semis and things must when games.
It didn't go wrong, but on the day the guys
just fired and so it sounds like a training run,
but we targeted this guy and we gave him absolute
(04:28):
hell and he kind of lost the plant of it,
and that was really the destruction. And in the end,
if I remember talking about that game except being yeah,
it was pretty good to beat the poems, I said
with that, but it wasn't really a maker. But it
didn't need the same memories as obviously the gold medal game.
(04:48):
It really we won quite easily and I was like,
oh yeah, job.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Done, all right, and on to the gold medal game
Canada thirty one twenty nine grant that feels close to me?
Was it close?
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Oh? Yes? So just a fun rugby effect. So in
the game, and I think you would have seen it
in the recent coverage of the Paralympics and Paris. You
want to score last at at the end of every quarter.
There's some good reason about that, but you want to
score last at the every quarter, and we did. We
(05:22):
were down the first quarter by I think it was two,
half time, down by one, three quarters with level and
then we went to win, but every time we scored last,
and then the you know when you shake hands at
the end, that the coach Joe Huge, and he said,
you bug uscored last every time. I said, I know,
good a job, but that's and that's really how that
(05:46):
game was won. But there was also one before that.
It was one in the approach we took, and that
you know that the mental skills that the team had,
we changed the way we played from the first three
games to the knockout games. One of the stories which
has been known to bring me to tears a little bit.
The guys would pay music on the way there and
(06:09):
it was just awful. It was I have no idea
was that. It was just terrible. And one day I
said to look for was it s a little bit
of Neil Diamond Sweet Caroline before it became the world,
before it became the world's anthem. And they just said, look,
you cakes who worded the music? That was all fine.
On the way to the final they played the stupid music.
Get to the gates here and the music goes off,
(06:30):
and I said, rap, what's going wrong here? And then
they start playing Sweet Caroline. The whole bus was singing,
and we got to the to the gates, to the
entrance of the gym, claim to the door. Now I'm
going awkward were still singing and as we get off
on first off and I said, the Canadian boys blood
a good day for a final and they just thought
we lost our lolly and gone for it. But it
(06:50):
spoke to the to the approach to the guys. They
were quietly confident. They know they're doing the work. And
my team talk before was the game was pretty simple,
enjoy what you're doing. Sorry, process, stick the process. But
the biggie was have fun, help fight out there. You
know you even know when you're back, and they did.
And I but if on the side, I love that.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
What a great story. So you won gold. How for
you personally? How did winning gold as coach compared to
winning bronze twice as a player.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Well, I think the gold, because it is a gold,
really stood out. And I think my time as a
coach I enjoyed more of a player and I love
playing played with bost of those guys and look we
had them. We did some pretty good cool stuff. But
I think the being part of a team, and and
(07:46):
to be clear, my role was more around molding things,
you know, all the brains was being other tecticians and
ashing these guys. My job was to make sure. The
environment was good and the lead up and the environment
was good at the tournament, and it was just such
a great feeling of achievement. We set out to do it.
We've done everything. And I remember, you know, we'd scored
(08:09):
to put us one ahead, turned the ball over, scored again.
I looked at the clock. There's like three seconds to go,
thirty one, twenty nine, and I thought, I think we
won those. You know, I'm not that smart to illus Jason,
and and I just made this real sense of calm
and oh it wasn't that hard, but of course it was.
It was hugely hard, but there was just sense of serenity.
(08:31):
And I just remember thinking versus great, just a ps
that notes in the village that night, obviously that a
couple of years in Eshni, we having a quiet and
there and the guys at the front, and I planned
to retire. That's what we've done, you know. And then
they started going, oh, we're going to defend it in Beijing.
And then I stopped drinking. I as well, we'll we'll
hang on, fellow, what's all this about. No, we're going
(08:53):
to defend it in Beijing. I said, well, you have
the World Champs until you start, Yeah, we're gonna do
that too as well. He's going to coach it. Well
you are, said, I don't think so. Four years later,
another four.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Years in my life gone, brilliant stuff. And there we
are tweety years on from your gold medal feats in Athens,
and you're all getting together or most of you are
you I don't know. Is it like most sports teams
when you get together twenty years on from a big
achievement or any period of time on, do you reckon?
The stories of how you won those gold medals will
be I don't know, exaggerated a little bit over the weekend.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
So if you've think of the Airwish New Zealand fishermen,
the goals we scored will have been done on one
wheel with half a hand behind the back. The efforts
will be magnified, and we all agree that's the way
it happened. So absolutely, I mean, Jason, anyone's been in
(09:46):
any kind of team that that level knows that bullshit
that gets talked will just be amplified. It's going to
be a great time. And yeah, we're going to rewrite
the record books and how we actually run.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Now that's the reason for getting together, Grant. That's the
reason for getting together to celebrate these things. So I
hope you and the rest of the team from two
thousand and four have an absolutely brilliant weekend. I hope
the stories are exaggerated and told long into the night.
You deserve it. A pervotal moment in our Paralympic history,
the gold medal that the Whirlblacks won twenty years ago
in Athens in two thousand and four. Great to chat mate.
(10:17):
Thanks for taking the time.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
Thanks Jase, I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Now I appreciate your time, Grant, Grunt Shalman. They're the
coach of the team that won gold medal, the gold
medal at the Paralympic Games in two thousand and four
in wheelchair rugby. Getting together across the weekend to reminiscently.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine. Listen live
to News Talk zed B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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