The public really made the London Paralympics one of the best experiences of my life, and I am pretty sure it was the same for most athletes from GB and other nations. The cheering and support alone brought home a few more medals.
London 2012 was unreal, every part just felt amazing. I remember the day we arrived, I walked around the village to get a feel for the place. I specifically remember saying to my coach: ‘I think this will be the best 14 days of my life’.
The village was its own little world, nothing I have been to before compares with it. It was shut off from the world and had everything you could ever need and more.
It was all such an amazing experience, and one I hope to repeat in 2016.
The best part for me had to be the games room; once competition time started we didn’t get to use it much but leading up to competition in our downtime space we spent a lot of time there relaxing and playing pool.
The dining hall felt like heaven after living in Sheffield with team-mates where, every day, after long hard sessions you have to come home and cook, which is the last thing you want to do.
But it was the Games Makers who were the icing on the cake for me. They were so happy and excited to be there and help you.
They stopped you from getting lost but also reminded us that we are not just playing for ourselves but the whole nation and made the experience for me that much better.
For me the best part of the whole Games was of course the competition at the ExCel. It was special walking out to your table and being introduced to the crowd.
Sadly for me, I didn’t do that great in the singles. I was happy with the draw and went in confident. I didn’t play poor but didn’t play to my best. I lost 3-0 to a Chinese player ranked No.6 in the world and then 3-2 to a Belgian former Paralympic champion and reigning world champion.
But the glory was awaiting me in the team event as we won bronze. I love singles but the team event always holds something special. The team was Ross Wilson, Will Bayley and me, nicknamed Dream Team RAW.
We went through every emotion – joy, sadness, tension, pressure, excitement and spirit. Ross won the final point and we went mental.
We had planned a celebration like Paul Gascoigne’s from Euro 96 – but with Powerade as the drink of choice! However, I decided that would ruin the court so we literally bottled it.
It was all such an amazing experience, and one I hope to repeat in 2016. If you would like to help support me in any way, do tweet me @kibsta91 or contact me via email at aaron_mckibbin@hotmail.co.uk
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