I’d like to introduce myself; I am Zach Tandy. 17 years ago, I was born with talipes and hemimelia. Talipes (Club foot) is a deformity of the lower limb where the foot is facing the wrong way around. Hemimelia is limb deformity that causes the fibular and tibular to have a stunted growth. Since birth I have endured 23 operations including limb lengthening and a fused ankle. In spite of the challenges I have faced, I have always had a love for sport. I had always worked twice as hard as everyone else to compete in mainstream sport such as local rugby and cricket. 2 years ago, I attended a talent ID session with Disability Sport Wales. This is where my journey as a discus thrower began.

As a part of DSW Paralympic Futures, I have dedicated the last 2 years to training and working my way up the ranks as an athlete. All this work has resulted in me being selected by Great Britain for the Paralympic Development Academy. My short-term goal is to represent Great Britain at the 2021 World Para Junior Championships. Represent Wales at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. The longer-term goal is to compete at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris. These goals are getting closer every day and looking more and more likely to be achieved.

Each week, I complete four technical throw sessions along with four event specific strength and conditioning sessions, travelling to the National Indoor Athletics Centre at Cardiff Met. A statement made by the head of DSW Anthony Hughes MBE in my recent review recognised “commitment of my time and professional attitude to hard work whilst training with the Elite squad and current Paralympic medallists. The reason for my approach is as a currently unfunded athlete I am looking for support to pursue goals and to become one of the greatest para-athletes of all time. Your support would help me finance my travel expenses, equipment, nutrition and competitive registration fees. As a 17-year-old student, covering these costs to pursue my goals has become a huge challenge.

Your support will enable me to train and compete at the level required to sustain my chances of achieving a place in the Welsh Commonwealth Games squad and the British Para Athletics squad. I have done incredibly well in my first senior year within the sport becoming U20’s British Champion and with a PB 41.30m reaching 4th Senior all-time list. Your support would enable me to feel more secure and gain stability towards achieving my longer-term goals, allowing me time to advance through the GB Para Futures programme to become a fully funded athlete.

Zach Tandy Tiktok