By Will Castle
Wheelchair rugby prospect Josh Tudge is determined to honour the memory of his former coach by following the path he once tread to reach the Paralympics.
Elland athlete Tudge, 26, was first introduced to the sport by GB legend Alan Ash, a trailblazer who played in the first ever World Wheelchair Rugby Championship in Switzerland and went on to compete at five Paralympic Games.
Ash’s sudden passing in February 2022 rocked and saddened the wheelchair rugby world, not least his protege Tudge, now without his idol and role model.
But in heartache comes motivation for Tudge, who now wants to reach the pinnacle of his sport not just for himself, but for ‘Ashy’ too.
“He was my friend, my coach and my mentor,” said Tudge. “He was a brilliant person.
“He was the first person who spotted me at an event and the first person who had a chat with me about going on the pathway to become a possible elite athlete. He was the guy who could make my dream possible.
“I'm really thankful for the guidance and the coaching and the focus I had from him. It meant a lot.
“You want to put as much pride in anything you do, but to have that extra motivation and that belief that he had in me [to become a Paralympian], for that to come true would be special.”
Paris 2024 saw GB’s wheelchair rugby side just miss out on the podium after losing 58-40 to Australia in the bronze medal match.
Nevertheless, watching the Games from home has made Tudge even more driven to achieve his own Paralympic dream.
“I was very proud of the team,” he added. “I felt they started the tournament really well in the pool stage.
“The standard of their own performance was so high but it suddenly dropped and the other nations around them, who didn't quite get a good start, grew into the tournament. Their main downfall was peaking too early.
“It inspired me to continue to try to reach the pinnacle of the sport and to play at the highest level.”
Tudge is one 1,000 athletes supported each year by SportsAid, who provide crucial financial support as well as offering development opportunities through workshops and visits.
Tudge is one of 50 athletes across a multitude of sports supported by a partnership between SportsAid and Pitching In, a multimillion-pound grassroots sport programme established by Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral.
The grant has been immensely valuable to Tudge in funding his progression, taking the financial burden away from what is an increasingly expensive sport to excel in.
“I would just like to say thank you very much for the support I get from SportsAid,” he said.
“The journey time to get to a rugby session can vary quite a lot, so SportsAid helps me get to these training sessions.
“It helps me fund my fuel and it also helps me with equipment, for instance the chair, tires, flaps, gloves, glue, tape - all these things add up, and without SportsAid, it would be difficult to continue.
“I wouldn't be at the level I am now without them. I’d struggle to keep going with rugby because rugby is a very expensive sport unfortunately, so it just helped me get to that level and continue improving.”
Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, is proud to be championing the next generation of British sporting heroes by providing talented young athletes with financial support and personal development opportunities in partnership with SportsAid. Visit entaingroup.com to find out more.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here