'Golden slam' dream still alive as Alcott wins gold

3 years ago 294

Australian wheelchair tennis champion Dylan Alcott has clinched back-to-back Paralympic golden successful the quad singles and kept his 'golden slam' imagination live successful the process.

The Victorian besides revealed aft the lucifer that helium wouldn't vie successful different Paralympic Games, portion adding "I beryllium it truthful much".

After taking location golden successful the quad singles astatine the Rio Games of 2016, Alcott defeated Dutchman Sam Schroder successful Tokyo, winning 7-6 (7-2), 6-1.

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The 30-year-old is present acceptable to depart Japan for the USA, lone requiring triumph successful the US Open to go conscionable the 2nd successful past to implicit a 'golden slam'.

US Open triumph is each Alcott needs to implicit the feat aft winning the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and Paralympic golden this year.

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Australian wheelchair tennis leader Dylan Alcott during the Tokyo quad singles final. (Getty)

Schroder controlled the aboriginal games of the Tokyo quad singles final, breaking service to instrumentality a 5-3 pb successful the archetypal set, but Alcott forced a tie-break and won the decider 7-2.

The erstwhile wheelchair basketballer past showed his exceptional people successful breezing done the 2nd acceptable to triumph 6-1.

"I emotion the Paralympic Games truthful much, it means truthful overmuch to me," Alcott said aft the win.

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"When I was 17 I got to spell with the Rollers (to Beijing successful 2008) and we won golden and it was lifechanging.

Australian wheelchair tennis champion Dylan Alcott poses with his golden medal aft winning the quad singles last successful Tokyo. (Getty)

"The Paralympics ... saved my life; it truly did. It was the champion happening that ever happened to me. I beryllium it truthful overmuch and I conscionable took a infinitesimal retired determination to look astir due to the fact that I'm conscionable truthful thankful and grateful that it came into my beingness and that I tin execute connected the large signifier and bash it with my friends and alteration perceptions connected the mode astir what radical deliberation of america – radical with disabilities.

"And not conscionable arsenic athletes. Hopefully this is changing perceptions beyond that. Not each idiosyncratic with a disablement tin beryllium a Paralympian. But they tin beryllium a doctor, a lawyer, a mum, a dad, a teacher, an educator, person – immoderate it is. But they often don't get the opportunities to play sport. And that's what we're trying to do.

"It means that overmuch to me, it's immense and to get it done contiguous was bloody awesome."

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