Aaron's hopes for home games glory

With the 2012 Paralympics edging ever closer, it’s not just established athletes who are looking forward with hope and expectation of going for glory on the home stage. For potential Paralympic hopefuls, the prospect is even more exciting. Disability Now caught up with table tennis player Aaron McKibbin, who is aiming to make his first Games in the capital next summer

At the moment my goal is to get there first,” says Aaron, when asked whether he is looking forward with excitement to the 2012 Paralympics.

“I have still not qualified for London 2012 but the thought of playing there is amazing.

“We recently had an international competition in England, and that was on a small scale compared to what London will be like and that already felt incredible. Also it being my home city would just be amazing to play at as it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to compete at a home Paralympics.”

Aged 20, Aaron is a relative newcomer to elite table tennis competition, having only been involved for three years. However, he has shown considerable promise, winning a host of medals and competitions.

Aaron says: “I started playing at my school at lunchtimes and was asked to join a club. From here I was asked to play competitions and it turned from fun into something serious that I love to do.”

Having come so far in a relatively short space of time, how does he feel about the prospect of qualifying for his first Games on home soil?

“That in itself would be a massive achievement, seeing as I have not been involved in the GB squad too long. This is the first Paralympics I can qualify for as I only started in 2009.

“But going into 2012 I just want to be the best prepared and try to carry on the form I had in the Europeans into the coming season.”

Those European championships certainly were a promising sign of the strength within the GB table tennis squad, and Aaron feels it is currently “the best it has ever been.” The team won a string of medals at the tournament in Split, Croatia in October.

“We had six medals, two being gold and seven singles semi-finalists which is a massive achievement, especially as it was the last Major before London 2012, so I would say as a squad we are in a great position at the moment.”

Apart from the opportunity to compete on the greatest stage in front of a home crowd, many athletes are also hoping that the Paralympics drive a change in permanent attitudes in society, both towards disability sport and perceptions of disability in general. Aaron is no different.

“I think London is a great opportunity to show people how competitive and strong Paralympic sports are,” he says. “I don’t feel it gets the respect it deserves and can be seen as more of a sympathetic competition compared to the Olympic Games, but I feel when people come to watch it will change a lot of people’s views and lift the profile of athletes a lot in Great Britain.

“I feel London will go down as one of the all time greats, especially as a Paralympics. Being our home Games I would like to think it will be the greatest of all time, but that’s just me being biased, we will have to wait and see!”

However, while many sportsmen list fellow athletes or stars from other sports as heroes or role models, Aaron saves his praise for a very special woman in his life – his mum.

“I don’t really have a sporting hero – I don’t really look at sports people and feel I want to be like them. My idol would have to be my mum. She is an amazing person and without her I would not be able to try to follow my dream to play at London 2012. She supports me however she can and does everything to help me.”

Even if Aaron does not manage to qualify this time round, it’s clear from his impressive rise through the ranks so far that more major international success is on the horizon.