13 Questions: GB Paralympic shooter, Di Coates
The 58-year-old from Hampshire will be competing in her eighth Paralympics in London, having made her debut in 1984 in Stoke Mandeville; she is the only member of the GB team to have previously competed in a home Games.
Di has won eight Paralympic medals over her career, including three golds, and is part of a 12-strong GB shooting team. Here she answers our 13 probing questions.
My earliest memory is ...
The 1984 Paralympic Games. I can't remember much before shooting - it's all I seem to have done!
The three words I'd use to describe myself are ...
Shy and retiring.
A little known fact about me is ...
I like working with children.
Given half a chance I'd relish the opportunity to bore you stupid about ...
Shooting.
I can't resist ...
a nice glass of rosé wine after a big competition.
During my time off I ...
Relax, have a nice meal with friends, good old English food.
Before I die I want to ...
Visit Japan.
If I suddenly became able bodied I would ...
Climb Snowdon.
My ideal dinner guest would be ...
Tom Selleck.
My first job was ...
In the accounts department of a company called Marconi.
Competing at London 2012 will be ...
Very exciting, the pinnacle of my career and the culmination of four years of hard work.
To win a medal would be...
Absolutely wonderful. I won medals in Sydney, Atlanta, Seoul and Barcelona but winning a medal in your home country, in front of a home crowd, would be something special.
For disabled people in the UK, London 2012 will be...
Good for the country to recognise disabled people and will show non-disabled people what we can do. Hopefully it will help towards a change in attitudes.
Comment number 1.
At 30th Aug 2012, Boxer_the_Horse wrote:This being a disability website, it would be reasonable to include some specifics such as: what is Di's disability, what classification does she compete under ? I don't want her Xrays, or to invade her privacy, just some context.
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Comment number 2.
At 1st Sep 2012, maggie wrote:Great going Di You have an eviable track record of Paralympic appearances and hop you have many more. What an inspiration to all the newcomers to the games.
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