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By Owen Morgan
Aled Davies registered an F42 shot put world lead distance in Cardiff this week, despite suffering excruciating pain from long-standing hip problems.
Such is the extent of the issues – similar to those suffered by two-time Wimbledon champion Sir Andy Murray – Davies travels to London on Monday for specialist treatment.
The aim of the trip is to allow the serial global gold medal winner to compete pain-free at July’s World Para Athletics Championships in Paris.
A pain-free Davies will be bad news for his summer rivals in France.
Despite difficulty getting out of bed in the morning and being unable to even do sit-ups because of the discomfort, Davies has been in impressive form since winning discus gold for Wales at last summer’s Commonwealth Games.
Hence, the desire to find a solution for the problem which is also impacting on his day-to-day life away from athletics.
“I’ve had a few injections to try and repair the problem, and it lasts for a short period of time, but it doesn’t seem to be healing,” said Davies.
“After the Commonwealth Games, I was probably at 60 per cent. I managed to heal my body to about 85-90 per cent. But when you want to be competing with the best in the world, there’s no room for error. I want to be 100 per cent.
“I’m looking to get a gold medal next year and I’m pushing towards LA, too. Health is wealth – I have to look after the body. So, yeah, I’m looking forward to starting the procedure and getting it fixed on Monday.
“I think the only way to describe it is I’ve got a similar problem to what Andy Murray had. I think a lot of people saw his documentary and what he went through.
“I’ve been trying everything I can around it, strengthening bands, pilates, working with specialists and seeing the best doctors.
“I’ve even tried resting, which is obviously one of the key things and it hasn’t seemed to work.
“It’s affecting my quality of life away from sport – even just getting up in the morning. I can’t do a sit-up because it’s so sore. It’s time to get it done because it’s testing me, and I want to be around a few more years yet!”
https://twitter.com/BBCSportWales/status/1555154080862912513?s=20
Although the problem Davies is enduring is similar to Murray’s, the treatment he is facing isn’t as invasive as the surgery the Scot eventually underwent.
“I’m not going to have a complete hip replacement just yet! Although the way things are going, I feel like it’s headed that way,” said Davies with a wry smile.
“At the moment, I’m going to have a few ultrasound guided injections and stuff like that, just to see if I can take away the bone stress on the socket and stuff.
“I have like a tug lesion which is like a tendon flicking over the bone, which is causing a lot of aggravation.
“I’m speaking to some of the best people around. This is the last option, really, because I got told it might always be there, I might always be in pain.
“I’ve just got to make sure that I listen to the team around me now and hopefully the body will repair.”
A painful hip condition isn’t the only similarity between Murray and Davies. Both are national sporting treasures in their respective countries and the United Kingdom as a whole.
Former world number one Murray has two Wimbledon singles titles and a US Open to his name, as well as two Olympic singles gold medals and a mixed doubles silver medal. He also helped Great Britain win its first Davis Cup since 1936.
While Davies has become one of Great Britain’s most successful athletes of all-time after bursting onto the international scene in 2012 when he broke the F42 shot put world record and won discus gold and shot put bronze at the London Paralympics.
Since then, he has won two more Paralympic shot put gold medals along with seven world titles and multiple European titles across shot put and discus. Last summer he won his first Commonwealth Games gold medal for Wales.
https://twitter.com/WalesOnline/status/1554945751544889347?s=20
The Bridgend man’s exploits, which include both shot put and discus world records, have also brought him recognition away from the track having received an MBE, OBE and a St David Award.
Born with fibular hemimelia, causing serious instability of his right leg, Davies also displayed his resilience away from the sporting arena by winning the gruelling Celebrity SAS reality TV show in 2021.
Despite his unprecedented success, the Welshman is desperate to add to his medal haul with a July trip to Paris firmly in his diary despite his medical appointment in London.
Asked whether he was confident of being in France, Davies said: “It’s going to be a close call. I’ve only been injured three times in my career, and this is the worst one.
“I’m over 30 now, so things are taking a bit longer to repair. I’m confident in my body, and I’ve worked hard in the last 15-odd years. So that’s not going to go away overnight.
“So yeah, I think if it goes to plan, I reckon I can definitely be back in time and ready to defend my title.
“You know me, it’s the same thing at every major champs, I’m the favourite going in. If I can get pain free, I’m in the shape to break the world record. I’m the best I’ve ever been.
“Even today, in absolute excruciating agony, I can set a world lead of 16.10. That’s further than I’ve thrown for a couple of years.
“It’s a testament to where we’re at. I just want to show people what I can do. I still feel like there’s big throws left to come.”
Few of his rivals would be willing to doubt that.
7⃣ Welsh athletes will represent Team GB at the World Para Athletics European Championships in June
Aled Davies goes for his fourth consecutive shot-put title as he prepares to defend his Paralympic crown in Tokyohttps://t.co/X1uziFi56S pic.twitter.com/1HIAOsP2uI
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) April 28, 2021
