Leicester alumnus Nick won’t rule out third Paralympic Games dream
Nick Cummins competing at the Paris Paralympics. Photo: Megumi Masuda, World Wheelchair Rugby.
University of Leicester alumnus Nick Cummins MBE hasn’t ruled out competing for Team GB for a third Paralympic Games following a tough end to Paris 2024.
The former History PhD student, who won gold in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, saw his wheelchair rugby team’s bid for more glory fall short in this summer’s Games.
After progressing through the group stages, which included a memorable victory over hosts France, Team GB lost 50-43 to the United States in the semi-finals, before being pipped 50-48 by Australia in the bronze medal game.
“I’m now taking some time off from training after a really intense three years,” said the 39-year-old, who also plays for Leicester Tigers Wheelchair Rugby Club. “I love the sport and the lifestyle but certainly need a break before I think about the next Games in LA, in 2028.”
While Nick and his team-mates are ruing missing out on the medals, the Paris Games contained moments he’ll never forget, and he feels the sport will benefit from the exposure.
He said: “It was a tremendous experience to be part of the Paralympics in Paris. France was a great host and there was real enthusiasm for the games and especially wheelchair rugby.
“The disappointment of missing out on a medal is something that will, to some extent, stay with me forever but I still have some great memories from these games.
“A real highlight for me, in particular, was beating France in our last group game. France are an excellent team and have beaten us in successive European finals so to defeat them in such an exciting game in Paris, next to the Eiffel tower and with a very passionate and partisan crowd of thousands is something I’ll always remember.”
Nick added: “I think, overall, that we should be largely proud of our performance, wheelchair rugby has never been as hard-fought and competitive as it is now, so many games were settled by only one or two tries.
“We had a great start, winning our first three games in an extremely tough group and ultimately were beaten by Australia in the bronze medal match despite our best efforts. The semi-final game against the United States was a real disappointment though, we were far from our best.”
Nick contracted meningitis at 19 whilst an undergraduate at Leeds University, meaning he had to begin using a wheelchair. During his recovery he enjoyed watching the Beijing Paralympics and went on to try wheelchair basketball but found his strength better suited to wheelchair rugby and started playing in the development team aged 24. Nick was invited to the GB squad in 2014 and his Paralympic debut, while studying for a PhD, was that golden success in Tokyo, for which he received an MBE for his services.