Stephen aims for fourth medal in Beijing

Athlete and Sports Therapy technician, Stephen Payton, will be running in his fourth and final Paralympics in Beijing in September.

Stephen, 31, from Westcrown village, South Shields, works as a Sports Therapy technician at the University of Teesside. He was born with minimal cerebal palsy, the least affected category of the condition’s seven levels. Stephen is originally from Livingston, Scotland, and started running aged 11. He got involved in disability sports five years later after a chance meeting with Pete Wyman, then national Scottish coach for disability sport.

Since 1994 Stephen has competed for the UK, running in the 200 and 400 metres. He has clinched the following medals in the last three Paralympics:

• Gold in Atlanta, 1996
• Silver in Sydney, 2000
• Bronze in Athens, 2004.

Stephen trains for 30 hours a week at Gateshead International Stadium, the Gypsy Green stadium in South Shields, the University’s gym and runs on a local beach. He said: “I’m looking forward to the Paralympics as a whole; it’s a fantastic experience to be in this very unique competition. I feel confident that I can catch up to my personal best of 51.3 for the 400 metres in Sydney. The medal I’m most proud of the Bronze in Athens, as I’d fractured my right ankle nine months before."

Before flying to Beijing, Stephen aims to use the Environmental Chamber in the University’s Olympia Building. This simulates extreme temperatures for athletes to prepare them for competing in different climates. Stephen said: “I’ll also be watching the Olympics in August. I want to see what’s happening and how the athletes are coping with the smog and humidity.”

Stephen will fly to Manuca, a Portuguese enclave on mainland China, at the end of August. He then travels to Beijing on 5 September to prepare for the qualifying rounds.

Stephen added: “I’ll still be involved in sport at some level but my immediate needs are my wife Silvia and our child, whose birth is due anytime. And I won’t miss fitting my life and work around my training schedule!”

Stephen is the son of Alan and Elizabeth Peyton and a former pupil of Inveramond Community High School.

Stuart Braye is a Senior Lecturer in Sports Studies at the University and a former Paralympic athlete. Stuart, 50, from Stockton, clinched the Bronze Medal in the 400 metres, single below knee amputee category, during the 1992 Paralympics in Barcelona.

Stuart lost his leg 23 years ago while working as a lorry driver when the brakes on his lorry failed, resulting in a crash and his injury. After a lengthy recovery Stuart didn’t allow this experience to hold him back, and went on to become a Paralympic athlete and eventually achieved a Masters degree. He still runs recreationally to keep fit.

Stuart said: “Barcelona was an amazing experience, running in front of a massive crowd of 65,000. I was very happy to win a medal, with my wife and two sons there to see it. I have a link with Stephen, as my former coach John de Courcy is now his current coach. If Stephen manages to secure yet another medal in Beijing it would be a tremendous achievement.

“It must be quite rare to have two Paralympic athletes, past and present, in one department of any organisation. We both work in the School of Social Sciences & Law. It would be great if our presence here at Teesside attracted disabled sports people onto some of our courses.”

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