Ollie Mangion Comments on his GBWR Appearance!
This years Canada Cup was a great display of wheelchair rugby. It was a pleasure to see LondonWRC athletes going up against some of the best teams in the world. We caught up with one of our athletes Ollie Mangion, to hear his thoughts and feelings on only his second GBWR appearance…
Q. How did you feel leading up to the Canada Cup?
A. After dealing with a bout of covid a couple of weeks before flying it was a challenge to get myself back into a position where I felt like I could compete. However in the days leading up to the tournament I was feeling very fit and back in fighting shape - just in time!
Q. What did it feel like competing against the best teams in the world?
A. I was greatly looking forward to being able to compete against some of the best teams and players in the world. Being able to test myself against players like Ryley Batt was an exciting feeling and I look forward to seeing my progress against them in the future.
Q. How do you feel the competition went for yourself?
A. There were a lot of positives to take away from Canada Cup, the goal for me was to play the world’s top teams with confidence and the knowledge of what both my strengths and weaknesses were. I think I finished the tournament having achieved those goals overall.
Q. What do you think of GB’s 4th position?
A. While it’s always a disappointment to lose in a medal match, I believe the whole team played extremely well and everyone should be proud of their individual performances.
Q. What was best thing about attending the Canada Cup?
A. Being able to represent GB again for the first time in 5 years was a proud moment for me and receiving my vest (no.9) in particular, made it feel very real.
Bonus Q: Do you have any superstitions?
A. Unfortunately no; though if anyone could lend me a four-leaf clover that would be appreciated!
Thanks for those answers Ollie, it’s been great to witness your development. Staying humble while determined are great traits to have and I’m confident we’ll see you in future GBWR line-ups. We certainly enjoyed watching the Canada Cup online, if you missed any matches, they can be found on the BC Wheelchair Sports YouTube page.
