Q & A with: Paralympian Jack Hunter-Spivey who plays table tennis for Great Britain
From our first ever #FridayFeature on the 6th August we had a chance to hear from Jack Hunter-Spivey who plays table tennis for Great Britain and will be competing at Tokyo 2021.
Q: What do you love about being a Paralympian?
“The thing I love about being a Paralympian most is that I get the opportunity to inspire others.”
Q: When did you first become exposed to Sport?
“Me and my family are massive Liverpool FC fans so I’ve always been around football and always loved the competitive part of sport.”
Q: What were some of the key barriers to becoming an athlete during your career?
“I had to face many barriers in my Career. financial struggles growing up, adapting to my disability, mental health problems, to name a few. And I’m sure I have many more barriers to face ahead of me but I look forward to facing them head on and overcoming adversity again.”
Q: Were there any moments in your life before becoming a Paralympian that helped you succeed as an athlete?
“A massive part of where I am today is meeting a guy called tony Edge at my first table tennis session, Tony was a Paralympian in the 80s and he really helped me get to grips with being a disabled person and now I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Q: How about the power of Assistive Technology?
“Assistive technology is crucial to disabled people and becoming a Paralympian in order to get the most out of every journey in life.”
Q: What would you say to a young disabled person who might feel that becoming a Paralympic athlete is out of their reach?
“One piece of advice I would give is to whole heartedly follow your dreams no matter what obstacles are in the way and enjoy the journey no matter how tough.”
Thank you for your time Jack and good luck!