Confident Chiassaro targets multiple medals at European Athletics Championships

Richard Chiassaro will not be content with just one medal from the World Para Athletics European Championships next month, he wants the lot.

The determined 36-year-old will race in five T54 distances the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m at the Championships taking place in Berlin.

The Paralympian won four medals at the Europeans in Grosseto two years ago, clinching gold in the 200m as well as silvers in the 100m, 400m and 800m.

And the World Para Athletics Championships bronze medallist from London 2017 is optimistic his body will allow him to compete for podium places at every distance.

He said: “I’d like to medal in every event, I think it’s possible. I might struggle towards the end with the number of races I’ve got.

“My focus is going to be the 400m, 800m and the 1500m but I’ll use the 100m and 200m as starts practice.

“This will be the first time I’ve done a 1500m at European-level but I don’t see it being an issue.”

The T54 star set a new 800m world record at the Swiss Nationals in Notwill in June, only to have that record broken two weeks later by American Daniel Romanchuk in the Arizona Grand Prix.

Such a quick change demonstrates the strength in depth in the sport but Chiassaro isn’t expecting further records to be broken in Germany.

“I wanted to get given the record for having the shortest world record, but it was good,” Chiassaro joked.

“We all knew that (Daniel) could go faster but I feel that I can go faster, there’s a lot of guys that can still do that as well.

“I’ve heard that the track in Berlin’s not a fast track, but we’re all on the same track, so it doesn’t make any difference. I’ll be very surprised if there’s any world records.”

The 36-year-old will be watched on in Germany by two very special fans - his fiancé Claire and seven-year-old son Leo will both be cheering him on.

And Chiassaro admitted that their presence can be a calming influence ahead of a major championships.

He said: “He [Leo] was in London, doing fist pumps in the crowd and jumping and celebrating, it would be awesome to have him there as well.

“It’s awesome because I get nervous with certain events, it takes my focus off it a bit knowing where they are and I just think about that, and I just go and do what I’ve got to do.

“He’ll be sending me pictures of where he’s sitting before I even go out. My partner came to Switzerland recently when I was out there, she seems to think she was the good luck charm.

“I’m doing probably 100, 120, 130 miles a week in training, so that does take a lot of commitment.

“Obviously it’s tiring, when I’m at home and he’s wanting to run around and play football and things like that, I do have to sacrifice a lot with him, and my family, but it won’t be forever.”