By Veronica Buccino
The Lothian star left his third Paralympics Games with a gold medal alongside teammate Jodie Grinham, and now ready to train for upcoming World Championship.
Nathan Macqueen, 33-year-old Scot, returned to his home in Dumfries, following his triumphant performance in his third Paralympic Games.
“Paris was definitely different compared to Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020,” said Nathan.
“Rio was my first Games [after] I joined the squad in late 2015, so I had less than a year to make the team and Tokyo was a Covid Games. But this time I could actually have a proper experience”.
Eight years of arduous teamwork later, he and his teammate Jodie Grinham took home a team gold medal on day 5.
“I’ve known Jodie since I got into the squad in 2015 and it was nice to share the experience with her. Timing wise, competing individually is probably easier, because you get 30 seconds an arrow when alone, but in a team, you get 20. However, being in a team relieves a lot of pressure, when there’s someone else in line with you”.
When asked how it felt to win, he added: “There were some politics that happened in Rio that took me out of the team and they went on and got a silver medal. It was a bit of a sore point that I could’ve get a medal in my first Games but didn’t. It was rather thrilling to be able to obtain one in Paris and do significantly better with the gold”.
Due to the pandemic and the one-year postponement of the Tokyo Paralympics, Nathan only had three years in between Games. He reflected on the training requirements: “The training is hard. There’s a lot of time away from my family, which I think is the hardest bit but it is also trying to get a good balance and I usually manage to do it”.
In addition to the gym workouts, the training sessions can extend from 8am until 6pm, with an average of 200 arrows shot. Being an outdoor sport, inside training with artificial light during winter months can be mentally challenging. Consistency can help a lot: “This is what we do, we have to repeat the same thing over and over again, and it makes it sound really easy, but it’s not”, Nathan added, characterising the sport as ‘the art of repetition’.
For the athlete, it felt extremely important to have his family there in Paris to support him.
“I wanted my family to be there for me, but when that happened, I was also a bit nervous. I didn’t look in their direction when I was shooting, and I didn’t wave at them until after. Now that I’ve got a month off, I want to spend time with them. Then it is back to work. I’ve got the World Championships next year (2025) in September, so I have to get ready for that”.
Scottish Disability Sport Week (SDSW) is something to earmark for this year. The one week long campaign (25th November – 1st December) is a nationwide celebration throughout Scotland. The week engages numerous partners across the country and encourages people to get active. Each day focuses on a different theme: the benefits of getting active, overcoming barriers, intersectionality, clubs and communities and how to get involved.
In light od SDSW, Nathan explained how he benefitted from getting active and participating in sport following his accident.
“I just had more motivation to do things. After my accident, I did not want to do a lot with myself but I found that with sport, I had to do something, and without the discipline, I would not be the person I am today”.
The Scot went on to explain the intersectionality of archery:
“It is one of the very few sports where, apart from during the Paralympics and World Championships, you compete against everybody and there aren’t distinctions of Para categories. This is extremely important because when I was younger it was a bit difficult for me to be disabled, and this inclusivity made me feel part of the sport even more, rather than being in my own little category by myself. This is why I really like archery, and I have never faced any societal barriers”.
Nathan wanted to emphasise the importance of getting into sport, in a way that it doesn’t only make you healthier and fitter, but it helps you set goals which is a good mental release.
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