When Daniel Bounty collapsed following a surf accident, there were fears he may never walk again but the Moffat Beach athlete is now poised to run for his country.
The 19-year-old is bound for the Tokyo Paralympics, which gets underway on August 24, and he will compete in the 1500m (T38/T39).
“I’m keen as … I can’t wait,” he said.
“I’ve been in athletics for about seven years, and it (the Games) has been a goal of mine, so to finally go there is pretty exciting.”
He hoped to fare well at Tokyo, with Paris 2024 also on his mind.
“Being my first Games, it’s an all-in experience, hopefully leading towards the next one,” he said.
That Daniel can run at all is amazing.
When he was eight, he suffered a stroke after he was involved in a bodysurfing accident.
“I had to re-learn to walk and now I’m going to the Games, so it’s been a journey,” he said.
A budding nipper when he was young, he turned to running after showing promise in a school cross country race and he has since emerged as one of Australia’s brightest track stars.
“We’re still getting our heads around the fact he’s going to the Paralympics,” his mother Michelle said.
“When Dan was in hospital and in a wheelchair, we didn’t know if he was going to walk again … but one day he just got out of his wheelchair and walked to me and here he is now, a Paralympian.
“That’s pretty cool, it’s a good moment and after a lot of hard work from a lot of people.”
She said Daniel had an optimistic outlook and his selection for the Paralympics was reward for perseverance.
“You’ve just got to keep looking ahead and that’s what he’s always done,” she said.
“He’s never given up on himself, which is important.”
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Coach Peter Bock has worked with the Caloundra State High product for the past five years.
“He’s progressed bit by bit every year,” he said.
“His goal is probably to make the final (at Tokyo) and he’s a chance for a medal, but there’s a lot of things that have to go right for him.
“We hope the weather will suit him because it should be pretty hot and humid.
“That could suit him, compared to other athletes.”
Daniel is likely to be the youngest in the event.
“He is lacking years of training (compared to others) and has had a few growth-related injuries and that’s sort of stopped him from doing a high amount of training,” Peter said.
“So, we’re still scratching the surface of what his potential is.”
Peter said the postponement of the Games could benefit Daniel.
“He would have been close to qualifying if the Games were in 2020 but he’s taken 12 seconds off his time in the last 12 months, and we’re hoping he can continue to improve.”
Daniel won the national 800m title this year and was second in the 1500m.
He’s ranked seventh in the world for the 1500m and has a personal best of 4min10sec.
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Peter said Daniel, who was also a good surfer, had shown great resolve.
“(Initially) it was more about trying to get him back to walking.”
“I think it was a pretty scary time, not being able to get out of bed of a morning.
“It took him some time to be able to walk, let alone run.”
Daniel can now stride out in earnest, although it’s difficult for him to feel the ground on his right side. He will compete in a category for athletes with coordination impairments.
- Daniel’s schedule: 1500m (T38): Heats September 3 8pm-10pm, final September 4 8pm-11pm.
