Why the Paralympics, not Olympics, is on Cate Campbell’s mind

“What I need to do right now doesn’t involve thinking about going to the closing ceremony of my fifth Olympic Games and what that would feel like.

“The competition is incredible. It’s going to be incredibly tight to qualify. There are no guarantees. It’s not like they’re saving a spot for me on the team. I’m going to have to fight tooth and nail for that.”

Campbell will swim in the 50m and 100m freestyle events at Australia’s trials next month, which also features Paralympic athletes hoping to qualify for Paris.

Campbell says the integration of athletes with a disability has changed immensely in the 16 years she has been on the Australian team.

“My brother has cerebral palsy, so I’ve grown up in the disability community,” Campbell said. “I have seen first-hand the challenges that community faces, but also know what a wonderful, inspiring and uplifting place it is. That’s one of the reasons that I’m so excited to be involved in the Paralympics is we get to expose more people to that community. We get to celebrate people who are often marginalised, who are often silenced.

“It’s very normal to turn up to a swim competition and for me to know a bunch of the para athletes who are there and that’s happening right from when kids are entering the sport, not just at the elite level.

“The Paralympic movement has grown year-on-year. I can barely remember hearing about it back in 2008. It’s a chance for us to celebrate our athletes, but also to be inspired by their phenomenal stories because all of them have had to overcome so much just to get to the starting line of that competition, so much more than the average person would be able to understand.”

Channel Nine has announced a large stable of commentators for the Paralympics, including Ellie Cole, Kurt Fearnley, Dylan Alcott, Blake Cochrane and Annabelle Williams. Former Australian BMX rider Sam Willoughby, who suffered a career-ending injury in 2016, will also join Campbell and Jess Fox in commentary.