‘Take My Mind off the Disappointment’: Former Paralympic cyclist finds new life through surfing

Former British cyclist Hannah Dines’ Paralympic dream ended rather shortly after she failed to make it to the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics. However, Dines showed true sportsmanship and was hardly discouraged. Although it affected her to some extent, she immediately opened herself up to greater experiences by participating in a whole new field of sport, which is surfing.

She hails from the snowy nation and found little contact with the sport there. She moved to cities and struggled with basic amenities, but asserted herself gloriously within the community, according to a Glasgow World report. She eventually competed in professional events, pushing the boundaries of the sport for the para-athletic standards.

The Big Leap of Faith from Hannah Dines

On March 16, unlike Rio 2016, the 29-year-old athlete was not selected for the 2021 Paralympics team. In her search to reach her sporting potential, she came into contact with surfing. “I figured I needed to do something else that would take advantage of my fitness and take my mind off the disappointment of not having achieved the ultimate goal.” Dines unveils Glasgow World.

she added “I was really fit because I trained until Tokyo and I hoped I could make it.” So the Glasgow native traveled to Wales in search of the world’s only full-time special surf team, Surfability. “I called them and they invited me to try my hand at a surfboard. I loved it so much but there wasn’t much accommodation,” the athlete recalled.

DIVE DEEPER

Additionally, Dines slept in her car for two months while practicing the sport. She claimed, “It was just the best experience ever for about two months and I realized it was really something.” Within a very short time, Dines was taking part in professional championships. She took part in the World Championships in Ostend that year and won silver. It wasn’t, she even went to the World Championships where she placed fourth.

Hannah Dines shows the way to adaptive surfing

Encouraged by her win at the world event, the former cyclist decided to pursue surfing full-time. However, the sport has not yet been included in the Paralympics event. Dines aims to implement this as soon as possible. She listed her goals, with her main goal being to represent her nation, as the region sees only a meager percentage of turnout.

Her second goal is an essential step for para-athletes. “Another goal is adaptive surfing. We have to adapt our surfboards to every shape, size and ability we have.” said Dines. While the whole idea is still young, it doesn’t take long before we can see para-athletes surfing their way to stardom. Likewise, para-surfer Victoria Feige wants to convey a similar message for the future of the sport.

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Hannah Dines objected that her special skills prevented her from pursuing one of the world’s most extreme sports. Regardless, she balanced through the waves of hurdles and emerged as one of the most promising para-athletes in the domain. If possible, for which sport would you dare? Tell us in the comments.