August 24, 2024 • 10 mins
The 2024 Paralympic Games are set to get underway.
From Thursday August 29, 25 of New Zealand's strongest Para athletes will compete across 8 different sports for 11 days.
Three-time Paralympic gold medallist Cameron Leslie says over half the Kiwi athletes have checked into the Olympic village so far.
"It's been so long building up to it, it's nice to be here and be amongst the Paralympic Village - it's a different sort of vibe to what we get at other swimming championships."
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
The first of our Paralympians have arrived in the Athletes
Village in Paris ahead of the Paralympics starting on Thursday.
Among those is flag bearer twenty twenty four Halberg, Para
Athlete of the Year and three times Para Olympic gold
medalist swimman Cameron Leslie. He's with me from Paris.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Good morning, Cameron, Good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
How does it feel to finally be in Paris?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
It's cool. Yeah, this has been so long building up
to it.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
It's nice to sort of be here and be amongst
the Paralympic village, right, It's different sort of vibes to
what we get at other like world just specific swimming championships,
So it's kind of cool to be back amongst it
and relative normality too.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
How many of the team have arrived in the village.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Oh, we might have half. Yeah, there's a still a
few more to come.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
Athletics door to come, Canoe still to come and come,
I believe.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Is it nice to have a bit of time to
acclimatize and get used to things.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Yeah, that's cool, particularly like given the cutthroat nature that
it is and it's different transport and things like that,
it's kind of nice just to get the layer of
the land understand it, particularly for someone like me with
my disability. I like to understand what the walking distances are,
just so I know whether I'm using prosthetics or jump
in a wheelchair or what might be the best option
for me to put my best foot forward performance wise.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
You'll be carrying the flag and the opening ceremony on Wednesday,
your time with Anna Grimaldi. How special is it to
be named flag bearer?
Speaker 4 (01:41):
Yeah? Real humbling, eh, Yeah, sort of thinking in a
little bit more now that we're hear and I guess
you're seeing more of your teammates who are sort of
like smiling and get saying congrats and person stuff like that.
So it's kind of Yeah, it was really nice. We're
looking forward to it. It would be a special moment
for sure.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
This is your fourth Paralympics, but the first time as
a dad, the first with your wife and your three
children watching. How does that change things? What does that
mean to you?
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (02:11):
I say it's going to be different, but it's it's
not because you're still going to be trying to perform
your best. But also I think I'll have a real
big dose of context as soon as the race finishes,
whether it goes good or bad, there'll be three happy
kiddies to see me in the crowd, smiling, waving, and
I guess whether it's a good result or a bad result,
they don't care, and that's probably something that's really an
(02:33):
easy way to sort of move forward and progress to
the next race and things like that, regardless of what
the outcome is.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
So yeah, I'm really looking forward to it.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
They've been part of the holding camp in Spain with me,
so that's been really just good for me to help
get the home life sorted before moving into competition mode.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Oh, it's so exciting they're there with you. What about
your parents. Are they in Paris?
Speaker 4 (02:55):
Yep, they've just flown out to Spain to help my
wife and kids get up to Paris itself to just
align their bookings, all line up with Airbnb and when
we could get accommodation and things like that.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
So yeah, they'll be there in the crowd as well.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
They were really emotional when you were named flag Bearrow.
Know what impact have they had on your success.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Massive a like mum says, there was no book for
how to raise a child with a disability when I
was born, so they had to sort of figure it
out on their own and just go with their gut
on a lot of stuff. And there was a lot
of just terrible messaging that came through the medical model
of expectations of what life would be like for me,
and that I was their fourth child, so they had
had kids before me, and they sort of sat there going, sure,
(03:38):
it's not going to be that bad, and so they
just did what they knew and have treated me very
normal and encourage the home environment and the family environment
with me and the siblings to be very not just normal.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
So yeah, I havetive.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Credit them for a lot of how I've turned out
just as a person, but also in the sporting space.
They've been very supportive without being overbearing as well, which
has been like it's part of me finding my own
way in life.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
You talk a lot about seeing capability over disability, but
is it important for you and for your kids to
see you competing with a disability showing them what you
can do?
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Yeah? I think so.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
I mean I'll be lying if if I wasn't worried
about one day when the kids grow up, you know
they've got a disabled dads at some point that won't
be as cool as what it is at daycare when
kids are very little. So I want them to be
happy and confident and know that dad's done some cool
things and if someone says something mean about their dad
that they shouldn't care. And there's been heaps of really
(04:36):
positive comments from people who have disabled parents and it's
been really nice.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Just a bit of backing on my mindset.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
On that, but I think it's really important because everyone's
got stories of you know, oh yeah, my dad did
this or my mum did this back in the day,
and you just know they were never there to see it.
So hopefully we're creating some memories for them and changing
changing my kid's viewpoint of disability, and I know that
we are changing like their friends, like my friend's kids
viewpoint of disability as well, in terms of what is
(05:04):
capable and just normalized a bit disability and normalizing conversation
around it.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
You work for Swimming New Zealand developing power of swimming
talent across the country. How much swimming talent is out there.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Quite a bit of the ved Neue Zealand Short Course
Champs on this week in Auckland, so I've been following
the results whilst have been over here. Yeah, it's it's
been really there is quite a bit coming through some
really promising prospects, which is I guess my job being done. Well,
it's just trying to convert them into the high performance space.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
And there's a there's well probably three or four there were.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
Just sort of waiting in the wings, very close to
making the making into that cutthroat space.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
So yeah, we're in a good place, that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
And what about you, Cameron, what's your personal goal with
the Paralympics. Yeah, feeling good about your form.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
Yeah, Actually I've been doing some really good times in
our holding camp in Spain, some season best times which is.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Always really encouraging.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
And yeah, hey, goal is to hit a hit a
podium or two.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Whether or not that happens or not, we'll see.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
There's some strong competition out there and it is a
lot of it's going to be who can do it
best on the day, So fingers crossed that that I
can be one of the best on the day.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
And we've got three swimmers making Paralympic debuts, how do
you expect the team to go?
Speaker 4 (06:16):
Hopefully they make finals as a start point.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Absolutely, and I hope that they kick.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
On and you know, maybe one of it, one of
them might shock us with a metal finish.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Who knows how that's the dream.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Love an underdog story. You've been to four Olympics, You've
been on the sign for a while. Now. Does that
sort of on the scene for a while now, does
that kind of put you into a bit of a
mentoring role within the whole New Zealand team.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Definitely within our swim team.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Yeah, but that's because there's relationships built there already and that,
like I know that the people lean into that experience
and sort of get people to speak up at certain
times or whatever to whether it be help, encourage or whatever.
But each team has got pretty good support networks and
experience amongst them. Anyway, there's not too many on the
team who are very very green. We sometimes, like in
the past, we've had very green swimmers who had been
(07:06):
to a World Champs and stuff like that pre come
into a Paralympic Games. So yeah, there will be times
we will lean into that, but other times, yeah, there's
just yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
They're pretty pretty good group of athletes here this year.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Fantastic. Look, I know you've only been in Paris a
day or so, but you know you went to Rio, London, Beijing.
How are you feeling is Paris? Sort of feeling good?
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Impressed with what we were talking about. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
we were talking as a team. We're like, I'm very
impressed so far.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
Like it's there hasn't been any issues as such, Like
I know other people and other roles might have had
some issues that they've done with From an athletic side
of things, it's all been pretty smooth sailing. Everything from
being welcomed off the plane to getting into the village.
Everything's been really bloody.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Good, fantastic. Hey, you're also a member of the Wheelblacks
who narrowly missed out on qualifying. If they had qualified,
What have you done both?
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Yep, that was the plan.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
We were making plans for a well in advance of
games time to how it could be managed in whether
it was possible or not and short short answers, Yes,
it was gutter that we couldn't qualify the will Blacks,
but it's a brutal qualification process in wheelchair rugby.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Has anyone else ever done two different sports at the
Olympics the paralym Bugs.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Yeah, it's been done.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
There's there's a fear few who have done I guess
done double sports before. But they're quite like similar if
you know what I mean, Like I don't know, like
marathon and something on the track if you know what
I mean, like you both you're both pushing a track
chair on both events.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
It's quite similar. Stars.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
But yeah, it's not very common to have the contrast
that are swimming and wheelchair rugby. Yeah, but hey, who
knows LA is still coming up and hope, well, hope
that will. Blacks are back in LA and but maybe
my old old body will get through four more years
and swimming will see.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Hey, just lastly, you've had some involvement with the Paralympics
Schools program going into schools, which I think is fantastic.
How important is it for you to showcase what you
and your fellow athletes can do to you know, these
kids imprest.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
Yeah, definitely, it is such a special project. I think
Toyda is right behind it too, helping, I guess, charge
it and make it happen. And we I think it's
part of looking to that future generation. I love doing
school talks anyway myself, but it's the main reason for
that is that you can change these people's opinions of
disability and get away from probably some older stereotypes that
(09:24):
kick around with disability and what people are capable of,
and really showcase what both the human body can do,
but what athletes with an impairment can do as well.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
And it's not just.
Speaker 4 (09:33):
Positive towards athletes, it's positive towards people with the disability anyway.
So I think it's hugely important to I guess, help
help grow that next generation of people. You know that
they are in New Zealand's future, right, so if we
can help them with a more different mindset towards disability
and different outlook on what is capable and possible and
how something might be possible to happen, it's only but
a good thing.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Yeah, absolutely, Look we're right behind you, Cameron. Best of luck,
we shall be following. I hope things go well.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Thank you so much, much appreciated.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca run listen
live to news Talks at b from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
The first of our Paralympians have arrived in the Athletes
Village in Paris ahead of the Paralympics starting on Thursday.
Among those is flag bearer twenty twenty four Halberg, Para
Athlete of the Year and three times Para Olympic gold
medalist swimman Cameron Leslie. He's with me from Paris.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Good morning, Cameron, Good morning.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
How does it feel to finally be in Paris?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
It's cool. Yeah, this has been so long building up
to it.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
It's nice to sort of be here and be amongst
the Paralympic village, right, It's different sort of vibes to
what we get at other like world just specific swimming championships,
So it's kind of cool to be back amongst it
and relative normality too.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
How many of the team have arrived in the village.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Oh, we might have half. Yeah, there's a still a
few more to come.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
Athletics door to come, Canoe still to come and come,
I believe.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Is it nice to have a bit of time to
acclimatize and get used to things.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Yeah, that's cool, particularly like given the cutthroat nature that
it is and it's different transport and things like that,
it's kind of nice just to get the layer of
the land understand it, particularly for someone like me with
my disability. I like to understand what the walking distances are,
just so I know whether I'm using prosthetics or jump
in a wheelchair or what might be the best option
for me to put my best foot forward performance wise.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
You'll be carrying the flag and the opening ceremony on Wednesday,
your time with Anna Grimaldi. How special is it to
be named flag bearer?
Speaker 4 (01:41):
Yeah? Real humbling, eh, Yeah, sort of thinking in a
little bit more now that we're hear and I guess
you're seeing more of your teammates who are sort of
like smiling and get saying congrats and person stuff like that.
So it's kind of Yeah, it was really nice. We're
looking forward to it. It would be a special moment
for sure.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
This is your fourth Paralympics, but the first time as
a dad, the first with your wife and your three
children watching. How does that change things? What does that
mean to you?
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (02:11):
I say it's going to be different, but it's it's
not because you're still going to be trying to perform
your best. But also I think I'll have a real
big dose of context as soon as the race finishes,
whether it goes good or bad, there'll be three happy
kiddies to see me in the crowd, smiling, waving, and
I guess whether it's a good result or a bad result,
they don't care, and that's probably something that's really an
(02:33):
easy way to sort of move forward and progress to
the next race and things like that, regardless of what
the outcome is.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
So yeah, I'm really looking forward to it.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
They've been part of the holding camp in Spain with me,
so that's been really just good for me to help
get the home life sorted before moving into competition mode.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Oh, it's so exciting they're there with you. What about
your parents. Are they in Paris?
Speaker 4 (02:55):
Yep, they've just flown out to Spain to help my
wife and kids get up to Paris itself to just
align their bookings, all line up with Airbnb and when
we could get accommodation and things like that.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
So yeah, they'll be there in the crowd as well.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
They were really emotional when you were named flag Bearrow.
Know what impact have they had on your success.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Massive a like mum says, there was no book for
how to raise a child with a disability when I
was born, so they had to sort of figure it
out on their own and just go with their gut
on a lot of stuff. And there was a lot
of just terrible messaging that came through the medical model
of expectations of what life would be like for me,
and that I was their fourth child, so they had
had kids before me, and they sort of sat there going, sure,
(03:38):
it's not going to be that bad, and so they
just did what they knew and have treated me very
normal and encourage the home environment and the family environment
with me and the siblings to be very not just normal.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
So yeah, I havetive.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Credit them for a lot of how I've turned out
just as a person, but also in the sporting space.
They've been very supportive without being overbearing as well, which
has been like it's part of me finding my own
way in life.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
You talk a lot about seeing capability over disability, but
is it important for you and for your kids to
see you competing with a disability showing them what you
can do?
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Yeah? I think so.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
I mean I'll be lying if if I wasn't worried
about one day when the kids grow up, you know
they've got a disabled dads at some point that won't
be as cool as what it is at daycare when
kids are very little. So I want them to be
happy and confident and know that dad's done some cool
things and if someone says something mean about their dad
that they shouldn't care. And there's been heaps of really
(04:36):
positive comments from people who have disabled parents and it's
been really nice.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Just a bit of backing on my mindset.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
On that, but I think it's really important because everyone's
got stories of you know, oh yeah, my dad did
this or my mum did this back in the day,
and you just know they were never there to see it.
So hopefully we're creating some memories for them and changing
changing my kid's viewpoint of disability, and I know that
we are changing like their friends, like my friend's kids
viewpoint of disability as well, in terms of what is
(05:04):
capable and just normalized a bit disability and normalizing conversation
around it.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
You work for Swimming New Zealand developing power of swimming
talent across the country. How much swimming talent is out there.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Quite a bit of the ved Neue Zealand Short Course
Champs on this week in Auckland, so I've been following
the results whilst have been over here. Yeah, it's it's
been really there is quite a bit coming through some
really promising prospects, which is I guess my job being done. Well,
it's just trying to convert them into the high performance space.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
And there's a there's well probably three or four there were.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
Just sort of waiting in the wings, very close to
making the making into that cutthroat space.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
So yeah, we're in a good place, that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
And what about you, Cameron, what's your personal goal with
the Paralympics. Yeah, feeling good about your form.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
Yeah, Actually I've been doing some really good times in
our holding camp in Spain, some season best times which is.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Always really encouraging.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
And yeah, hey, goal is to hit a hit a
podium or two.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Whether or not that happens or not, we'll see.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
There's some strong competition out there and it is a
lot of it's going to be who can do it
best on the day, So fingers crossed that that I
can be one of the best on the day.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
And we've got three swimmers making Paralympic debuts, how do
you expect the team to go?
Speaker 4 (06:16):
Hopefully they make finals as a start point.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Absolutely, and I hope that they kick.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
On and you know, maybe one of it, one of
them might shock us with a metal finish.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Who knows how that's the dream.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Love an underdog story. You've been to four Olympics, You've
been on the sign for a while. Now. Does that
sort of on the scene for a while now, does
that kind of put you into a bit of a
mentoring role within the whole New Zealand team.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Definitely within our swim team.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Yeah, but that's because there's relationships built there already and that,
like I know that the people lean into that experience
and sort of get people to speak up at certain
times or whatever to whether it be help, encourage or whatever.
But each team has got pretty good support networks and
experience amongst them. Anyway, there's not too many on the
team who are very very green. We sometimes, like in
the past, we've had very green swimmers who had been
(07:06):
to a World Champs and stuff like that pre come
into a Paralympic Games. So yeah, there will be times
we will lean into that, but other times, yeah, there's
just yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
They're pretty pretty good group of athletes here this year.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Fantastic. Look, I know you've only been in Paris a
day or so, but you know you went to Rio, London, Beijing.
How are you feeling is Paris? Sort of feeling good?
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Impressed with what we were talking about. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
we were talking as a team. We're like, I'm very
impressed so far.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
Like it's there hasn't been any issues as such, Like
I know other people and other roles might have had
some issues that they've done with From an athletic side
of things, it's all been pretty smooth sailing. Everything from
being welcomed off the plane to getting into the village.
Everything's been really bloody.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Good, fantastic. Hey, you're also a member of the Wheelblacks
who narrowly missed out on qualifying. If they had qualified,
What have you done both?
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Yep, that was the plan.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
We were making plans for a well in advance of
games time to how it could be managed in whether
it was possible or not and short short answers, Yes,
it was gutter that we couldn't qualify the will Blacks,
but it's a brutal qualification process in wheelchair rugby.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Has anyone else ever done two different sports at the
Olympics the paralym Bugs.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Yeah, it's been done.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
There's there's a fear few who have done I guess
done double sports before. But they're quite like similar if
you know what I mean, Like I don't know, like
marathon and something on the track if you know what
I mean, like you both you're both pushing a track
chair on both events.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
It's quite similar. Stars.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
But yeah, it's not very common to have the contrast
that are swimming and wheelchair rugby. Yeah, but hey, who
knows LA is still coming up and hope, well, hope
that will. Blacks are back in LA and but maybe
my old old body will get through four more years
and swimming will see.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Hey, just lastly, you've had some involvement with the Paralympics
Schools program going into schools, which I think is fantastic.
How important is it for you to showcase what you
and your fellow athletes can do to you know, these
kids imprest.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
Yeah, definitely, it is such a special project. I think
Toyda is right behind it too, helping, I guess, charge
it and make it happen. And we I think it's
part of looking to that future generation. I love doing
school talks anyway myself, but it's the main reason for
that is that you can change these people's opinions of
disability and get away from probably some older stereotypes that
(09:24):
kick around with disability and what people are capable of,
and really showcase what both the human body can do,
but what athletes with an impairment can do as well.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
And it's not just.
Speaker 4 (09:33):
Positive towards athletes, it's positive towards people with the disability anyway.
So I think it's hugely important to I guess, help
help grow that next generation of people. You know that
they are in New Zealand's future, right, so if we
can help them with a more different mindset towards disability
and different outlook on what is capable and possible and
how something might be possible to happen, it's only but
a good thing.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Yeah, absolutely, Look we're right behind you, Cameron. Best of luck,
we shall be following. I hope things go well.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Thank you so much, much appreciated.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca run listen
live to news Talks at b from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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