When I returned as Paralympic Champion from Barcelona in 1992, I went straight back to school. There was a little local media interest but within two weeks of returning it was as if I had never been away.
I took two months break from swimming and then when I returned to training, I changed clubs and coach within three months.
This wasn't unusual after a Paralympic Games back then. It was considered necessary for athletes to recharge and refresh both physically and mentally. A period away from sport also enables an athlete to reflect on the last few years and make changes. Consequently, the first year after a Paralympic Games was always much more laid back with fewer competitions and in those competitions the standard was considerably lower than it had been at the Paralympic Games.
For me, three years to go to the next Paralympic Games in Atlanta 1996 marked the start of hard focused training for the next three years. I had had my rest; I had made changes, now it was time to put the plans into action.
Over a decade later disability sport is very different. The Paralympians returned to the UK after Beijing 2008 as national media stars. Swimmer Ellie Simmonds made the front pages of all the newspapers. But with such a profile comes pressure to continue to perform at a high level.
Whilst many Paralympians would have taken a break from training when they returned from Beijing 2008, there would have been a greater pressure for them to return to training and perform at the same level within months. It took me nearly 18 months to return to the form I had shown in Barcelona 1992.
Paralympians today don't have such time to ease back into training. In the Paralympic World Cup in May 2009, only nine months after Beijing 2008, the athletes were back on centre stage and breaking world records.
However, three years to go until the next Games is still important. Athletes will start to assess where they are currently in their plan compared to where they hoped to be a year ago. Now Beijing 2008 is a distant memory and their full focus will be on London 2012.
I never had the opportunity to compete in a major international competition in the UK. I do however distinctly remember the electric atmosphere and reaction of the crowd in Barcelona 1992 when a Spanish swimmer was in a final or won a medal. Athletes will have had similar experiences in other major competitions and will all be excited to experience the cheers for them in a Paralympic Games held in their own country.
London 2012 will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for all British athletes selected to compete. Through Deloitte Disability Sport we are providing the support and funding that will help enable these athletes to realise their dream. So when the British Paralympians stand on the start line in London 2012 Deloitte people can proudly cheer them on, knowing we have made a real difference in helping them get there.
