If you come across my story, the usual spin is that I burst onto the Paralympic scene in 2018, an overnight success. But that’s not how I see it. My journey started in 2005, on the first day I moved my right leg after my Traumatic Brain Injury. That’s TBI for short, and those are three letters you don’t want to hear from your doctor, btw.
Following that injury, I went on a long journey of recovery. Everything from relearning how to walk, to learning how to use my non-dominant side for all my daily tasks. Rather than seeing these struggles as hindrances, I tried my best to embrace them and use them as fuel.
Nate Riech, left, mid- endurance session with teammate Migael Strydom at the University of South Alabama, in 2017. (Photo submitted by Nate Riech)
For the first time in my young life, I became certain of what I wanted to do. I wanted to compete at the highest level of sport, shed light on my injury, and advocate for resources at local children’s hospitals.
Nate's mother, Ardin Tucker, pole vaulting at the Commonwealth Games in, Manchester, England, in 2002. (Photo submitted by Nate Riech)
Fortunately, during this time, my mother helped me push my limits. Having someone who believes in you - even more than you believe in yourself - can be extremely beneficial. Especially when you are navigating through adversity.
I was always trying to find my place amidst my sports-driven family. I don’t have space to name them all, but there are world-beating athletes among my closest relatives. I had an uncanny certainty that I would become a professional athlete. The part I was unsure about is how I’d get there.
The path seemed blurry at times. I have finished last in my fair share of races, and to be fully honest, I regard my collegiate career on the track as a failure. I didn’t achieve anything I had set out to do heading into university, and that was a hard pill to swallow.
Toward the end of my time in the NCAA, a provoking question took hold: "Who am I?"
Not who I wish I was, not who my family wishes I was, but simply, who am I?
It’s a simple and a complicated question. Let me tell you, it was a process. After graduating, I moved back to Atlanta, where most of my family lives. I took time to reflect, talk with my parents, spend time with my siblings, and help my family while my dad (who is my best friend) was battling cancer.
During that time at home, it became crystal clear that I needed to live my truth. This meant chasing those dreams that made me nervous. Even when I was unsure how to accomplish them, it’s what I had to do. I always told my siblings and kids I mentored to chase those dreams, but I found myself not taking my own advice.
Nate Riech, centre, in the 1,500m Conference Championships, during his junior year in 2016. (Photo submitted by Nate Riech)
With my mother’s encouragement and prompting, I got international classification in 2018, which allowed me to compete in para athletics nationally and internationally. That was when I decided to compete for Team Canada, moving to Victoria in order to train at the West Hub with coach Heather Hennigar.
Now, here we are, about 100 days out from the Paralympic Games and I am being asked "Nate, how are you preparing for Tokyo?"
About a month ago I arrived in Chula Vista, Calif., where the high-performance training centre has everything an athlete could want: facilities, running trails, dining on site, being surrounded by athletes training towards the same goal, and beautiful sunny weather.
I will stay in the U.S. for the time leading into the Games. I feel I’ve done most of the training, and now I need to put myself in competition scenarios that are uncomfortable. Time to push my limits.
Nate Riech takes the gold in the men’s 1,500m T38 at the Parapan Am Games in Lima, Peru. in 2019 (Dave Holland/Canadian Paralympic Committee)
On May 2, I raced in a full field of competition for the first time since the start of the pandemic. And for the first time in almost two years, I felt nervous as I toed the 800-metre start line.
I ran one minute, 55.2 seconds, and the race wasn’t nearly as fast as I wanted, but I was happy with my execution and the tactical awareness I employed. This race set me up well for the Azusa Pacific Last Chance Twilight, where I hope to test my fitness and get as close to 3:50 as possible in the 1,500m.
Heading into the Paralympics, I am confident in my training, and excited to push myself as I compete against the best athletes on the world stage. I hold myself to a very high standard and I will do everything I can leading into the Games to put myself atop the podium, but I also have immense respect for all of my competitors. Anyone in the final is fully capable of winning.
Top, large image by Luc Percival
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