Welsh Paralympic veteran Steve Thomas on why he fell in love with the 'brutal' nature of Nordic skiing ahead of Beijing 2022

Steely Steve Thomas says embracing the ‘brutality’ and ‘dark places’ of Nordic skiing were the secrets behind securing his spot at a sixth Paralympic Games.

Barry-based Thomas, 45, is a veteran of the British team after staring as a sailor at the Summer Games of 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 and in ice sledge hockey at Turin 2006.

He temporarily retired after Rio 2016 but just couldn’t resist the temptation of elongating his Paralympic odyssey, strapping on a pair of skis to give the gruelling world of Nordic snowsports a go.

Pain-staking distances, steep uphill gradients and hair-raising speeds mean Nordic skiing isn’t a sport for the faint-hearted but Thomas admits he fell in love with the challenge ahead of Beijing 2022.

“The one thing I love about Nordic skiing is that it’s just brutal,” said Thomas, one of over 1,000 athletes able to train full-time, access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering technology, science and medical support thanks to vital National Lottery funding.

“There are no hiding places - I’ve always wondered whether I can be an individual athlete and this has given me the opportunity to delve into that.

“I retired after Rio but there was just an itch and something that wasn’t quite right. I still wanted to challenge myself in a sporting content - I was given the opportunity to try out Nordic skiing and I loved it.

“Technically, physiologically and mentally, Nordic skiing is probably one of the most brutal sports there are.

“I think you have to be made of really stern stuff - the outdoor conditions mean we’re often skiing in minus 20 degrees, doing four or five sessions out on the road.

“You have to have a massive tolerance of volume, and we also go to really high heart rates as well,