The Paralympic medalist talks about her changing expectations, multiple events and the power of sport
Livvy Brin can’t wait to take part in the Paralympic Games in Paris and believes that, like London 2012, it has the potential to make a huge positive impact for para sport.
12 years ago, the 28-year-old was a teenager at home at the Paralympics and won bronze in the T35-T38 4x100m relay.
After the disappointment in Rio 2016. he finished 12th in the T38 long jump and seventh in the T38 100m, Breen returned to London at the 2017 World Para Championships to win gold in the long jump.
At Tokyo 2020, he won his first Paralympic individual medal in the long jump with a bronze, and before that he won gold over 100m at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Breen, who has had cerebral palsy since the age of two and has hearing and learning difficulties, is now one of the most experienced Paralympic athletes ahead of Paris 2024 and is aiming for a first Paralympic gold medal. She is coached by Aston Moore and trains alongside heptathlon star Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
AW: met him at Adidas House in Paris. He was attending the Olympics and had just participated in a panel discussion with producer Greg Nugent Rising Phoenix – To promote the next season of the documentary series, featuring athletes in the build-up to and during Tokyo 2020.
Olivia Breen (Mark Shearman)
How excited are you for the Paralympics and does it feel like a home Games?
I can’t believe how fast it came. Being in the stadium for the Olympics and hearing that atmosphere makes it all so real now. I’ll be competing in it and it feels like home games.
It’s so close to the UK. I think it’s going to be really big for parasports and it’s going to go out to the next generation. It’s about letting people know that if you have a disability, there is a sport for you. Maybe it’s not athletics, but there’s something for you.
» This is an edited version of a longer feature available in the latest issue of AW magazine. To purchase a copy click here
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