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13 Questions: David Roberts
11th November 2008
Describing himself as a 鈥渟mall town bloke鈥 from the Welsh valleys, David Roberts is actually right up there with the best of Great Britain鈥檚 Paralympians. Winning four gold medals in Beijing not only got him the job of carrying the GB flag at the closing ceremony, but also equalled Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson鈥檚 record of 11 Paralympic golds. David鈥檚 love of swimming began after he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of eleven, and he鈥檚 barely left the pool since. Fortunately, we managed to coax him out of the water long enough to answer our questions ...
Uppermost in my mind today is ...
, which starts on 17th November. It鈥檚 a massive honour to have been asked to be a part of it, as it鈥檚 something I believe in passionately. I was bullied at school and I don鈥檛 want others to go through what I did. My disability was the main reason for my physical and verbal bullying, because I walked like a penguin. I didn鈥檛 feel I had to respond to them, though - I just thought they were sad lonely individuals - but it鈥檚 never nice being bullied.
People think I'm ...
Serious. Others think I鈥檓 generous and kind because I do things in my own time, like run a disabled swimming club and visit schools to show them my medals. But I think being a Paralympian is a privilege, and with that comes the need to promote sport and fair play.
I want to ban ...
Drugs. Not just in sport, but generally. Drug taking was a very prominent issue when I was being brought up in the valley, and several boys I went to school with have died from taking them. It鈥檚 the million dollar question as to why they get into drugs; I鈥檒l never understand it.
Not a lot of people know that I鈥檓 ...
A fully qualified swimming teacher. I can teach anyone, and my disability has never been an issue.
I struggle with ...
Cold mornings, as my body gets stiff when it鈥檚 cold. And Manchester United winning the football, because I鈥檓 a Liverpool and Cardiff City fan!
My ideal dinner guest is ...
Nelson Mandela, because he鈥檚 a hero and he fascinates me. I鈥檝e read his autobiography, and he鈥檚 an inspiration for sure.
I spend most of my time ...
In the swimming pool in Swansea. I train nine times a week for four and a half hours a day. I get a bit wrinkly in the water, but with time the wrinkles disappear after a swim. One day, though, they will come and stay!
My first job was ...
As an assistant on a summer play scheme for disabled children. It was brilliant - the children were always so happy. They were like little lumps of clay waiting to be moulded, untouched by prejudice.
My favourite drink is ...
Gingerbread latte.
My favourite food is ...
Salmon. I just think it鈥檚 really tasty. It鈥檚 also full of protein, so it鈥檚 a good energy source.
I started swimming because ...
I was told it was the best form of physiotherapy for me. When I was swimming, I found that I was able to concentrate for longer, it helped my coordination and I became more flexible too. If I don鈥檛 swim now my muscles tighten up and I have all sorts of problems. Being big - I鈥檓 6ft 3鈥 - there鈥檚 a lot of me to fall over.
Winning four golds in Beijing was ...
A dream come true. I privately targeted winning all four, but didn鈥檛 tell anyone except my girlfriend and my coach. If I鈥檇 told the press and it didn鈥檛 happen, they would have wanted to know why.
If you're being bullied, my advice is ...
Seek help. Speak to a teacher, parent or friend - you don鈥檛 have to go through it alone. People worry that telling someone will make it worse, but it won鈥檛. There鈥檚 always someone who will help you.
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