ANDREW Mullen became the first Scottish medallist of the Rio 2016 Paralympics after the 19-year-old landed bronze in the 200 metres freestyle S5 yesterday, writes Mark Woods.
The Glaswegian set a lifetime best of 2:40.65 as Brazilian legend Daniel Dias claimed the 11th gold of his career ahead of American Roy Perkins.
And Mullen, who will return to action in today’s (Saturday’s) 50m butterfly was relieved to have got off the mark.
“It’s great to have a won a Paralympic medal and I am really stoked I was able to do so by swimming my best time,” he said.
“What a great crowd to do it in front of. Brazil have put on a great venue and a great Paralympic Games so I am really pleased to get my first medal in such a setting.”
Meanwhile, Micky Yule reckons dealing with performing in front of princes and presidents will help him cope with the pressure to deliver a medal at the Paralympics.
The powerlifter from Musselburgh, who competes in the 65kg event this evening, tuned up for Rio by taking gold at this summer’s Invictus Games in Orlando.
It was the latest step in the recovery process for the 37-year-old who lost his left leg in a landmine explosion while serving with the Royal Engineers in Afghanistan, needing 46 operations so far to piece him back together.
But after passing his American test in front of Prince Harry and President George Bush, the Scot feels ready for his latest challenge.
“There were 60 million people watching the Invictus Games on ESPN,” he said. “The standard was OK. I expected to win it. But the build-up was great. It was in Orlando so it was hot and humid. And even though I knew I’d win, I put pressure on myself to get a personal best on my first lift. And I did it. That’s exactly what I need to do in Rio. I know if I compete like I did at Invictus, I’ll not be far off a medal.”
Yule will have more surgeries after the Games in a bid to be cleared to lift again ahead of the 2016 Commonwealth Games in Australia. But he has one other project planned for his return from Brazil.
“I’m going to get a Rio tattoo,” he said. “I’ve not much space left. I’ve a little gap on my stomach. If I get a gold medal, I might have that tattooed on my forehead.”
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