MOUNT Gambier athlete Amechai Bawden will don the green and gold when he represents Australia in the 800m and 1500m at the 2019 INAS Global Games next week at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.
Bawden is no stranger to the world stage, having competed at the Special Olympics Summer World Games in Abu Dhabi earlier in the year, but he said there are still nerves in the lead up to the event.
“I am a bit nervous, but also very excited,” he said.
“It has taken a lot of effort to get here and I got in while not feeling well.”
The selection process occurred at Sydney, where athletes were chosen for the Australian team based on their results.
“There was a time limit we had to get under,” Bawden said.
“I had just got back from Dubai, then I was off to Sydney.”
Bawden contracted a stomach bug while overseas for the Summer World Games and was faced with a short recovery time before travelling to Sydney to qualify for the INAS Global Games.
However, he managed to qualify in both the 800m and 1500m – an impressive feat while not at full health.
The INAS Global Games is the world’s biggest sporting event for elite athletes with an intellectual impairment and this year’s competition will run from tomorrow until the following Saturday, with 47 countries and 1000 athletes represented.
Preferring longer distances, Bawden will feel more at home in the 1500m event, but he proved in Sydney he was capable of setting a good time in the 800m.
“I do not normally do the 800m, but 1500m and 5km I have done a bit of,” he said.
Bawden has also struggled with ongoing leg issues which hamper his performance and ability to train, but he enters his latest challenge with an open mind.
“I am not feeling that well, so I am just going to go out there and enjoy myself and do the best I can,” he said.
Still recovering from the stomach bug, Bawden’s training has been somewhat limited, but he has remained active and will be ready to give his all next week.
“I have just been trying to get out there and do something really – trying to train as much as possible,” he said.
“Sally Taylor has been working with me – she gave me a lot of sprint work and a few long-distance runs over the weekends.”
He also does park run every week which helps to maintain his fitness and active lifestyle.
Bawden expects some tough competition at the Global Games.
“It will be a lot different – it will not be like the Special Olympics which I normally go to,” he said.
“There will be a lot more competition I think.”
The opening ceremony for the Global Games will be held tomorrow, before the athletics events start on Monday.
