Para triathlete Jones preparing for epic journey to continue through box office summer of sport

Welsh star Rhys Jones has reached the top of paratriathlon aged 42 and his rise will coincide with a vintage British summer of swim, bike, run. Originally from a running background, a deterioration in his sight a decade ago led Jones to pursue disability sport and he began competing at the highest level in 2019. Ad/> It was quite a challenge for a man in his late 30s to learn to swim competitively for the first time — starting out, he could just about manage two lengths without struggling.

TriathlonPeasgood delighted for 'game-changing' Triathlon Series to arrive in Swansea next year18/11/2021 AT 09:16 It was a transformative journey from doggy paddle to a World Cup bronze medallist in a few short years that helped Jones reshape his whole identity. «I'm incredibly lucky,» said Jones. «The process of adapting to a new disability later in life is very challenging.

Everyone goes through their own journey and I think sport was always something I found therapeutic. »It helped me get my ahead around what was happening and accept I had a disability. «Para-sport is very welcoming and encouraging and triathlon helped me through that process.

It helped me be at ease with what has happening to me. »It's not cool what happened, but when you get your head around it and accept it, it's not that bad." Jones was a key worker during Covid-19 lockdowns, working on wards in Leeds as a consultant psychiatrist specialising in eating disorders. His progress in the sport has seen the Leeds-based star scale back his work responsibilities and he will be taking a career break in the lead-up to the Commonwealth Games.