Tracks of My Life Paralympics Special with Jonathan Ward

Episode 54,   Aug 20, 06:00 PM

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Tracks of My Life is a show on RNIB Connect Radio presented and produced by Toby Davey where he invites a guest to take us on a journey through their life, sharing those tracks that mark important moments in their life which bring back treasured memories to them.

Their chosen tracks might include the first track they can remember hearing, the first track they bought, more tracks that mark  other memorable moments in their life with the final track being a track that they would like to pass on that might give people hope for the future or just inspire them.

In this trimmed down podcast version of Tracks of My Life Toby is joined by former Paralympian Jonathan Ward who won a number of Paralympic medals as a visually impaired athlete including Gold in the Shot Put, Silver in the Discus and Bronze in the Pentathlon out in Seoul in 1988, Bronze in the Shot Put at the Barcelona games in 1992 and another Bronze in the Shot Put at the Sydney 2000 Games.

Jonathan’s Tracks of My Life journey starts with a wonderful piece of classical music by Tchaikovsky which seems to appear in the background when something life changing is happening in his life and definitely well before the invention of the smart speaker. 

Then to a track for Jonathan that marks a safe family place for him and a springboard to try new things too.

We then have a snap shot of life at boarding school for Jonathan with a great Jam track from 1979 that brings back fond memories of school life and those school discos too. 

Jonathan then reflects on his Paralympic athletics career from competing in his first games in Seoul in 1988, a track more for his daughters coming back from the Atlanta games in 1996 and then to the Sydney 2000 games and a track for Jonathan from his wife that featured on a cassette tape that she had given him with some good luck messages on it too. 

Before we come to Jonathan’s final track he looks bak on how the covid pandemic affected him as an athlete with a piece of music that represents a moment of clarity for him during all the restrictions and lockdowns.