Jonnie Peacock - Ready to get Back on Track

WHAT a year it’s been for Jonnie Peacock. After impressing millions of viewers on Strictly Come Dancing, following that with the hit show’s arena tour, charting his family history in another BBC One favourite ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ and taking part in the latest Superhero Tri event – what’s next for the sprint king? Back to the day job is the simple answer. Peacock made his official comeback in September at the Great City Games in Newcastle – finishing second behind Germany’s Felix Streng in the men’s T64 100m in an encouraging 11.08 seconds.

Now, as he tells Agility, the hard work really begins with winter training as next year’s World Championships and the 2020 Paralympics Games come into sharp focus.

ON TAKING A BREAK… “It’s been really nice to take time out from being an athlete and do something completely different. I took the decision to have a year out a couple of years ago – I thought that would be great, I would get a good rest and go away when I want to. It ended up being the busiest six months of my life! “I had Strictly, then the Strictly Tour and a few other things I’ve taken the opportunity to do, so it’s been pretty non-stop and it will be nice now to get back to normality. “It never really got to the point where I didn’t want to go in and train – it’s sometimes tough when you wake up tired in the winter and you have to drag yourself out of bed for a training session but I still love it. However, taking that time out definitely made me appreciate it even more and realise how much I do enjoy the training. So, yeah, I’ve missed it. “You constantly have something you’re working towards. For most athletes, that’s the championships each year. You target the next one, compete, have a few weeks off and then start working towards the next one. For me, when I’m not training now I’ve learnt to unwind - play Xbox or play with my dogs - which suits me perfectly.”

GETTING BACK ON TRACK… “I’ve started training again over the last couple of months and came back for the Great City Games in Newcastle. I went there to try my best with what I had. I only had two or three months of training leading into that whereas everyone else had the full year behind them. I wasn’t expecting world records or anything! “I’m not expecting big things too quickly because it’s early days but it has been good to get back into the hard work. In October I’ll be back into winter training and back to the normal routine with my sights set on the 2019 World Champs and building ultimately towards Tokyo 2020. “Everything is geared towards the big ones – the Paralympics and the World Championships. We build the training and preparations around that. Beneath that decisions are made on an event-by-event basis, so we’ll see how things go this winter and take it from there!”

ON BEING A SUPERHERO TRI TEAM CAPTAIN... “I’ve been involved in the Superhero Tri a number of times now and it’s just a really good event. There’s no other event in the UK that I’m aware of that caters for all abilities in this way. “There are no real rules or regulations and if someone needs a little bit of a helping hand to get them through the course then it’s there for them. There are lots of different distances and it’s all about getting as many different people involved as possible. “There are team captains, and I was captain of Team npower, with people like Adam Hills and David Weir also involved. It’s just a really cool day for everyone involved.”

MAKING SPORT INCLUSIVE… “I appreciate how much sport has changed my life and how vital it has been for me. I was lucky that I could integrate and get involved in sport quite easily, but not everybody is so lucky – some people have to search more and need some assistance. The Superhero Tri event is so inclusive and so easy to be a part of. I’ve seen what a difference sport can make and I want to help carry that on and help more people get involved in it. “Kids can sometimes be a bit shy at first, but by the end of the day they are a lot more comfortable and just having fun without a worry in the world. That’s great to see and be a part of. Some people who are doing triathlons all the time just want to come along and get involved, while for other people it could be their first triathlon, so it’s a real range of people. “It’s 100 per cent about taking part in sport and enjoying it. The benefits from sport are there for all to see in terms of physical and mental health, so it’s about making sure people can get out there and enjoy themselves.”•