European champion wheelchair racer Nathan attends many Panathlon competitions across the north of England. He is an inspiration to our young competitors and presents winner’s medals, trophies and certificates.
Nathan competed for Great Britain at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio and won three bronze medals and a gold at the 2018 World Para Athletics European Championships in Berlin.
In 2019, Panathlon’s Chief Operating Officer, Tony Waymouth, nominated Nathan for a place on the prestigious Michael Johnson Young Leaders programme, which is run by the four-time Olympic gold medal-winning athlete.
Nominations were received from applicants from across 34 countries and Nathan was one of only a handful selected.
He travelled to Dallas, Texas, in June of that year to attend a cutting-edge, seven-day camp focusing on sport, education and community leadership. He also benefited from a 12-month support package to help him achieve his goals in all three of those areas.
Nathan, who’s from Chester, is studying Sport Development at Liverpool John Moores University and has used Panathlon as a case study in his academic projects.
“Panathlon has given me an opportunity not just to meet young disabled children and help inspire them, but to learn an awful lot while I’m here too,” he commented.
During the Covid-19 lockdown, when schools took part in our virtual programme, we connected Nathan via Zoom to school assembly halls where he spoke to pupils live and offered encouragement and inspiration.
