ALICE Tai is adamant her performance at Paris 2024 will not be what defines her as an athlete.
The Poole-born swimmer, 24, is already a Paralympic champion having won relay gold at Rio 2016 as part of a team which blitzed the 34-points world record.
Just as remarkable was Tai's Commonwealth Games gold medal last summer, which came just six months after her right leg was amputated below the knee after worsening pain in her right foot.
That terrific turnaround ranks among her proudest achievements, leaving her feeling relaxed ahead of her bid for another Paralympic podium next summer.
"For me, I'm happy with what I've done in terms of career achievements," said Tai, who has teamed up with Bioglan to encourage athletes to find 'balance' across all aspects of their life.
"I'm 100% happy. I don't feel like there's anything more I want to do to prove myself.
"Seeing the impact winning medals can have in terms of the influence on other people is such a huge opportunity and if I can go and win a medal and have the chance to raise that platform again and involve more people, then it's not an opportunity I want to waste.
"The medals are just bonuses at this point."
Having worked as a pundit for Tokyo 2020, Tai witnessed first-hand the impact the Paralympics can have on the lives of para athletes across the globe.
'Inspire a Generation' was the tagline for London 2012 and it's a mantra which still rings true for Tai.
"You're so used to being in a bubble, but in Tokyo I saw how what athletes did can inspire people and I never really grasped that," she said.
"For me now to hopefully go to Paris, whatever my performance is, however well I do, it's about the platform it gives you.
"The Paralympics is still developing and growing and knowing that the more people who watch it, the more people are going to find freedom through sport is a really cool thing. We can have such a big impact on people's lives."
And as part of her pledge to use her platform for good, the neuroscience graduate has teamed up with Bioglan to encourage athletes to find ‘balance’ across all aspects of their life.
"Balance is such a huge thing for elite sports people," she said.
"I've tried being a full-time professional athlete and I really struggled not having anything else in my life.
"I found balance by doing more creative things, for example I really like music and for me that was a huge turning point in regaining my love for sport.
"If you get tunnel vision for one thing it can become very stressful and overwhelming.
"Bioglan really want people to look more introspectively and see how they can benefit their own wellbeing from a more well-rounded point of view."
Tai has partnered with supplement brand Bioglan for their second series 'In Bioglan Balance' alongside influencer Mat Carter to show how she finds balance in her busy life. To watch the series, visit @bioglansupplements on Instagram.
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