Aggar Continues to Blow Competition out of the Water

As a second-row forward for Warwick University first XV, a member of the Saracens youth development squad and a representative for the county of Hertfordshire in water polo, Tom Aggar was considering trials for the Royal Marines. However, in 2005 his visions of athletic merit were blurred by a devastating accident that initially threatened his life and ultimately hindered his mobility.

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Aggar’s accident is a topic of understandable sensitivity; whilst studying at Warwick University five years ago, he slipped and fell eight feet onto a concrete path during an evening out with friends. Those friends were literally left in the dark, entirely unaware of his accident and assuming that Aggar had simply returned home without them. Two hours later, he faced the terrifying prospect of regaining his consciousness whilst alone and unable to move. Soon after the accident, Aggar was hit with a diagnosis that revealed he had broken his back and suffered a T4 spinal injury, paralysing his legs.

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The extent of Aggar’s active lifestyle prior to the accident can only have made such an injury more frustrating; for many of a lesser mettle, paralysis may have proven an unsurpassable obstacle.

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Aggar’s destiny, however, would always be one of athletic distinction. Whilst his physical circumstances had been compromised, his tenacious and resolute character remained unvarying. Few people represent their county in a sport; even fewer then go on to compete at university level in another. Tom Aggar is now a three-time World Champion and Paralympic gold medallist in his third discipline; establishing a résumé that commands admiration.

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The conception of his illustrious rowing career can be traced to a programme of rehabilitation. He first competed at the 2006 National Indoor Championships using the FES (functional electrical stimulation) machine; a process that involves electrical pulses stimulating paralysed muscles to contract. Aggar won his category at the tournament in a World Best Time, getting his talents noticed by the British Paralympic rowing coach in the process.

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The following year, Aggar made the transition onto water. He faced the daunting prospect of his first major competitive race being at the 2007 World Championships in Munich. Unfazed by the experienced field and gravity of the event, Aggar held off a late challenge from reigning two-time world champion Dominic Moneypenny, securing a breakthrough world title after just months in the sport.

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Since Munich, his athletic progress has been a tale of unblemished success. Tom is now the reigning Paralympic and World Champion in the ASM single scull boat class; he destroyed the field by 13 seconds to clinch his latest world title, unsurprisingly breaking his own World Best Time of 4:49.80.

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“It was almost easier when I first started out,” Aggar laments, casually brushing off my suggestion that he could eventually match Steve Redgrave’s tally of five gold medals. “I had to chase people down and so you have real targets set. I may be ahead of everyone at the minute, but it’s about making sure I can keep building on that. I cannot rest on my laurels too much.

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His tone remains determined and his mentality unrelenting as he explains that “even now I’m getting fitter and stronger all the time, moving along and getting better.”

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As Aggar emerged from the World Rowing Championships on Lake Karapiro in November dripping in gold for the third consecutive year, his hard work was once again realised at the summit of the podium. Nevertheless, no amount of success seems to disturb his appetite for success.

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“After any competition it’s about keeping that hunger, and at the moment that is easy with the big competition around the corner.”

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The “big competition” is of course a reference to the impending London 2012 Paralympic Games, the unavoidable event that continues to invade the psyche of every potential participant since its announcement five years ago.

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“I try not to think too far ahead,” Aggar judiciously responds, almost doing his level best to calm me down. “Obviously 2012 is always in the back of your mind, but you have to remember that there is a lot of work to be done between now and then. It’s about making sure you are on that path by keeping your head down.

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“I’m always setting myself goals; times that I want to improve on and my performances in the gym. It’s all about making sure that I keep moving in the right direction and hoping that no-one catches me up by 2012.”

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His training regime seems to be a perpetual process of constant labour – two or three intense sessions a day, six days a week. His summer season on the water is followed by a winter season primarily in the gym, leaving breaks from the sport infrequent. Whilst we talk, the water on which he trains is in the process of freezing over, but his intentions remain undisturbed by the elements.

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“You do have to question it sometimes,” he concedes. “I suppose you have to be pretty crazy to do it. Your hands are freezing, but once you get into the session it’s not too bad.

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“I think knowing that there is such a massive event only round the corner keeps you focused. You realise that all the hard work you put in now will stand you in good stead, helping to build your performance and your speed.”

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It comes as no surprise that Aggar was acknowledged as the International Rowing Federation’s first ‘Adaptive Rower of the Year’ last year. He continues to exemplify elite athleticism and justify his position as a firm favourite for gold at the London 2012 Paralympics. His performances in a whirlwind rowing career have set the bar almost unreachably high, but the opportunity to demonstrate what he can do to the British public sharpens his vigorous desire even more.

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“There will be a lot more expectation, but also a lot more interest, and that’s something exciting for everyone involved.

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“Going to Beijing, you get a feeling of what it is like to compete at a Paralympics. It was massive; now I know that we are going to have that here in my hometown. The thought of competing, let alone reaching that podium, is a huge motivation and I am really looking forward to it.”

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Tom Aggar is a member of the BMW London 2012 Performance Team. It is an initiative designed to provide Team GB and ParalympicsGB with support as they prepare for the Games on and off the field. For more information please visit: www.bmw.co.uk/London2012