Jannik Blair heads to the Paralympics

Now, four years later and older and wiser, Blair is headed to the airport for his second Paralympics, this time in Rio. 

“Every time is very exciting, the experience never gets old,” he said. 

“We train and prepare with the mindset that we are going. 

“I suppose that is the only way you can train. 

“It is pretty exciting to know you’ll be boarding that plane, just like we are now.” 

When Blair represented Australia in wheelchair basketball at the London Paralympics in 2012, his team missed out on the gold. 

“It is a big motivator for us as we were so close in London,” he said. 

“We had a perfect campaign, our lead up was flawless until we tripped at the final hurdle. 

“This year we are more experienced and hungrier. 

“Seven of the guys from London are going to Rio so we all remember the pain and heartache and don’t want that again.” 

Blair, now based in Perth, has been training hard with his teammates at the Australian Institute of Sport. 

“I suppose the Paralympics were my goal as soon as I was fortunate enough to be exposed to it after my accident,” Blair said. 

Blair, a country boy, became a paraplegic after a tragic car accident in his grandpa’s ute. 

At just 12 years old, Jannik was in an induced coma for more than a week and endured weeks of rehabilitation. 

Blair said he is loving travelling and seeing the sights but his heart remains with Horsham. 

“I do see myself back in Horsham down the line,” he said. 

“You can take the boy out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the boy.” 

Blair met some training Olympians in 2004, who inspired and sparked his passion for the sport. 

“From then on I knew my target was to represent at the Paralympics, it was always the dream,” he said. 

“It took me a couple of years to get back into the swing of life and get stronger after the accident.” 

Jannik recently returned home, and visited Dimboola Memorial Secondary College to share some stories. 

“I absolutely loved coming back to Horsham. Every time I get the opportunity I grab it with two hands,” he said. 

“It was a surreal experience to have made such a positive impact on the students. 

“When the messages come through and people wish you all the best – it means a lot.” 

Jannik has recently been chosen to feature in a ‘Paralympians of Australia’ artwork series, commissioned by Toyota Australia. 

“It is a really big deal to be chosen as one of nine athletes to be immortalised in a piece of art,” he said.