Paris preview: Channel hop comes after Nick’s 15-year journey in discus
Nick Percy in action at the UK Champs (photo Getty Images for British Athletics)
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Nick Percy’s mother once revealed a stark example of how helping develop a young, wannabe Olympian thrower impacted on family life in the Isel of Wight.
‘Well, like everyone else, we have a large family fridge in the kitchen at home. And we have a separate large fridge specifically for Nick.’
That comment was made fully 11 years ago at the Scottish Age Group Champs in Aberdeen.
All that growing and throwing required a level of fuelling, clearly.
In his teen years, Nick’s commitment to athletics in Scotland was such that the family made regular trips to events.
Nick would sometimes compete in two or three of the throws and sometimes (at that time it was a different event schedule) in the U17s and U20s on the same weekend. Trips to the top of the podium were commonplace, too.
In fact, looking at Power of 10 profile, that event in Aberdeen was in August 2013. A week later the Percy family were back for the Senior Champs at Scotstoun in Glasgow.
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Nick in action for Team Scotland at Glasgow 2014 (photo by Bobby Gavin)
Nick had been born in Scotland when his dad Andrew was working in Glasgow. Elder sister Brogan is Scottish, too.
And Brogan in fact had a key role to play in his development in the countdown to the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Isle of Man.
‘I was eligible for Wales through my grandparents and for England through my parents,’ he recalled.
‘My mum and dad were of the view that it should be my decision. Brogan, however, got hold of me and stressed: ‘Nick, you were born in Scotland and you are Scottish – that’s the end of it.‘
‘I agreed with her and it felt right.’
Around that time, he was travelling for training sessions in London from the Isle of Wight – a ferry trip and a four-hour round trip to training.
‘We spent a lot of time in the car, yes, and I did a lot of my school homework on those road trips,’ he laughed, looking back at the dedication.
‘We went from Isle of Wight to London for training two or three times a week. Just for training and we would get home at midnight if lucky.
‘I gave up other sports earlier than I might have done in order to have more focus on the throws.
‘So to be an Olympian now comes after a long journey. I had big PBs in my teenage years and progressed and then there was a plateau for a few years.
‘Throwers do take time to develop and I am just thankful to coaches, sponsors I had in the past and Scottish Athletics kept faith in me.
‘That’s why it feels very special indeed to be in the team for Paris.’
‘
Nick Percy in Team GB kit for Paris (photo by Barrington Coombs, Getty Images)
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