Jessica Lewis To Carry Flag At Paralympics
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Jessica Lewis will proudly carry Bermuda’s flag at the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games in Paris tomorrow [August 28] and is eager to add another successful chapter to her storied athletics career.
Lewis, who competes in the T53 100 and 400 metres, will become a four-time Paralympian in the French capital and has been fine-tuning her preparations alongside the Canadian team at a pre-Games training camp in Barcelona, Spain.
Joining her in the opening ceremony at the Place de la Concorde and Champs-Elysées will be Bermuda team-mate Yushae DeSilva-Andrade, who gets her boccia campaign underway on Thursday.
“I’m very grateful to have been chosen to be the flag-bearer,” Lewis told Bernews. “That’s something I’m looking forward to. I’m getting goosebumps thinking about it.
“It’s great to have Yushae here too. I’ve enjoyed watching her career grow and develop, and it’s great to have such a big support team here.”
At 31, Lewis believes she is in the best condition of her career, having moved to Victoria, British Columbia, last year to train at the Athletics Canada West Hub under her new coach, Geoff Harris.
“We did one big session [in Barcelona], much of it technical, working on my starts, a few jogs, and a few sessions in the weight room, focusing on my fast-twitch muscles,” Lewis said.
“Every Games is a different experience. I feel the most well-prepared I’ve been going into a Paralympics. I’m excited about that.”
The Female Athlete of the Year, who is the island’s most decorated para-athlete, enjoyed a superb 2023, claiming a third successive gold medal at the Parapan Games in Santiago, Chile, with a time of 16.71sec, smashing her own Games record of 17.36.
With the 100 her main focus, Lewis hopes to shave time off her personal best of 16.12sec when she takes to the track at the iconic Stade de France on September 4.
“I’ll do everything I can to deliver a race I can be proud of,” said Lewis, who won bronze in the 100 at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Doho in 2015.
“I was running some low 16 seconds in Barcelona on a slower track, so I’m hopeful it will be a PB on a faster track.”
She acknowledged the intense competition in the 100 but remains confident in her abilities.
“The 100 is going to be so competitive,” Lewis said. “It will come down to who performs on the day, but I have a lot of belief and confidence in the work I’ve put in.
“It will be amazing to compete in front of such a big crowd at the Stade de France.”
Lewis said she has no plans to retire and believes she will only improve under the tutelage of Harris, a former Canadian middle-distance runner.
“I’m all in for the next four years [the Los Angeles Games in 2028],” she added. “Making the change with Geoff last year has given me a newfound love for the sport.
“It takes a while for your body to react to the changes and adjustments, and to work with Geoff for another four years would be amazing and see where that takes us.”
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