Life throws a myriad of challenges our way, but the ability to get through it and face the next day is where we find true resilience.

Four-time Paralympic gold medalist Curtis McGrath, who lost both his legs while on deployment in Afghanistan, told Shane Doherty on 4BC Summer Drive, “There’s many different challenges in life and when we face them, we don’t actually know how much resilience we need.”

“I think if you’re able to get up in the morning and lace up your boots and put your best foot forward in the best way you can, you’ve gone a long way.”

“You’ve actually overcome the first hurdle of the day and perseverance is a great substitute for talent,” McGrath continued.

On the matter of building a new stadium for the 2032 Olympics, “We’re not Paris and LA and the big cities like that, but we can put our best foot forward and make our city look as though we belong in that calibre.”

“I think we’d be stupid not to acknowledge that 20% of Australians live with a disability in some way, shape or form. If we’re not making facilities and sporting infrastructure, even just transport infrastructure accessible, it’s not going to be used by 20% of Australians.”

“And it’s not just for the games, but in all sport, everywhere, all the time. We need to get people of all abilities involved in sport, from kids to adults and all the way through, because sport is such a healthy thing to have in our communities,” McGrath continued.

Hear more highlights from Summer Drive below:

Image: Getty Images/Steph Chambers

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