London 2012: British Olympians, one year on – Jody Cundy

The Paralympian's expletive-rich rant after he was disqualified from a cycling time trial has affected not only him, he says. It has changed attitudes to disabled athletes
Jody Cundy
Jody Cundy photographed for the Observer last week in the Bike Store at the Manchester Velodrome. Photograph: Richard Saker for the Observer

Paralympian Jody Cundy has won five gold medals in two sports – swimming and cycling – and is an 11-time world champion, but he accepts that you probably know him for having an almighty paddy in the Olympics velodrome last summer. Favourite for gold in the C4 1km time trial, a problem at the start led to him not registering a time; he responded by throwing his water bottle to the ground and screaming: "Do you know what it's like? Four years of my life. I'll never get the chance to do it. Never. What am I supposed to do?" He later claimed a bronze in 4km individual pursuit. He is currently training to make the able-bodied English team for next year's Commonwealth Games.

Knowing what you know now, would you still react to what happened in London last year in the same way?

The language should have been toned down a bit, but the actual outburst and the stuff I said – that's still as valid now as it was then. It just didn't make sense: in my entire history of watching cycling, I have never seen what happened to me happen. I know what it feels like to win a Paralympic gold medal, it's pretty special, but I didn't get to feel what it was like in front of my home fans and friends and family, so yeah, of course it was kind of a disappointment.

What impact did not winning a gold in London have on you?

When somebody writes an invite list it's: Olympic gold medallist, Paralympic gold medallist, top of the list. After that, it's, "We've got 50 of them now, we can't really invite any more." You're only as good as your last gold medal, and if you don't win at the last Games you're put to the back behind the latest winners. And so it should be.

The bronze medal you won later wasn't much consolation then?

If I'd never won anything in the past, I would be absolutely ecstatic with a bronze medal. But I set my standards so high and being a double gold medallist and going in as world champion in the 1km time trial and watching the person win in a slower time than I've ever done is frustrating. But I made a name for myself and John McEnroe seems to do all right out of it.

jody cundy rant The Olympics moment: Jody Cundy rages after being disqualified from the Men's Individual C4-5 1km time trial final. Photograph: PA

Afterwards, your actions were seen as a moment when we realised how competitive the Paralympics are. Do you take pride in that?

That is the one positive – if you can have a positive out of having a massive outburst and getting chucked out of the velodrome and doing it on the biggest stage. In the past, there was always the perception that it was a bunch of disabled athletes, they turned up and they got the medals. But it's elite sport at the very top level and we work just as hard as our Olympic counterparts. And I think the frustration and the swearing and everything else that went with the disqualification – or the "did not finish" – just highlighted that.

A year on, does the progress continue?

You are more accepted now definitely. When you walk down the street and someone sees an artificial leg it's not constant staring as you walk past. It's like, "Oh, it's just like Jonnie Peacock's." And, "Why's it not painted?"

At the same time, there are no confirmed paracycling competitions until the 2016 Rio Games. How disappointing is that?

Oh, horrendously so. To think how big London was and how big it was for track cycling – we had four days with 6,000 people in the velodrome; it was one of the hottest tickets in the Olympic Park – and then nothing. It feels like paracyling is somewhere deep in a gutter that somebody forgot about. Sometimes I think, why have I picked this sport? I do it because I love it but nobody else seems to give a damn about it.

How confident are you of making the Commonwealth Games team?

It's a pipe dream, but it's something to get out of bed in the morning and train for. On a scale of one to 10 it's a five. I know in myself that I'm not going to go, but if I keep pushing myself, who knows?

What discussions have you had with the England coaches?

I chatted to the guys that will pick the team and I got told in no uncertain way, "We don't think you'll make the team but if you show us you can do this and this and this, there's a potential to do it." So the target is to get out there and show them. The home nations all get three slots, you don't have to use all three, but I don't want to deny someone a place on the team that's better than me. I don't want any special dispensation. I have to be the best they can select.

And you will be back for Rio?

I knew London would be one of my last Games. Had I won, that would have been a really good place to call it a day, but what happened has helped motivate me for the next four years. It feels like unfinished business. Rio will be an amazing Games to go to and it would be nice to win there and finish the story off properly.

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