- David Weir won four golds at London 2012, after winning two at Beijing 2008
- Weir hopes to get back into the medal race after falling short in Rio and Tokyo
- The 45-year-old Team GB Paralympic star is competing in three events in Paris.
Six-time Paralympic champion David Weir has thanked an anonymous supporter for buying him a new wheelchair which he hopes can help him win a medal at Paris 2024.
Weir will compete in the 1,500m, 5,000m and marathon in France this summer, where the 45-year-old will be much older than many of his rivals.
The London-born British team star, who cannot use his legs due to a congenital section of the spinal cord, won four medals in his hometown in 2012.
Weir finished first in the 1,500m, 5,000m, 800m and marathon competitions in London, having also won gold in the 1,500m and 800m in Beijing four years earlier.
But Weir was unable to add to her medal haul at Rio 2016. She also fell short at the delayed Tokyo 2021 Games.
David Weir won four gold medals at the 2012 Paralympic Games in his hometown of London.
The British team star is pictured celebrating after crossing the finish line in the 800m final in 2012
Weir had been competing in a 10-year-old aluminium chair, while Swiss Marcel Hug, who won four golds in Tokyo, was surrounded by high-tech carbon fibre.
“Other countries have turned their backs on us,” Weir said. “It’s not all about the chair, but it helps a lot.”
However, Weir’s chances of making a comeback have since been boosted by a mysterious benefactor who gifted him a state-of-the-art racing chair.
Weir received the game-changing gift after finishing third in last year’s London Marathon, nine minutes behind champion Hug.
“That call really changed everything and I couldn’t be more grateful,” Weir added, after declining to reveal the identity of his kind supporter.
‘It has helped me a lot mentally, it is a joy to be in it, it is a machine made especially for me, it is the best chair I have ever competed in.
‘I’ve really enjoyed training over the last eight or nine months. Marcel blew us all away in Tokyo because he had this chair that had been hidden, now I feel competitive.
Weir failed to add to her Paralympic medal list at Rio 2016 or Tokyo five years later
Weir competed in an old aluminum wheelchair at Tokyo 2020, which took place in 2021.
But Weir has since switched to a new state-of-the-art wheelchair after it was gifted to him.
‘I didn’t think I would do another Games after London, but I had a year off and decided to try Rio, and then I continued on to Tokyo as well.
‘I always feel like I’m chasing something, but at these Games I feel like I’ve prepared as best as I could.
‘I’ve worked really hard to get back into the top three in the world. A few years ago I probably wouldn’t have been in the top 20 and I’m really proud of myself.’