ASICS Canada made an thrilling announcement on Tuesday, revealing the signing of Canadian Paralympic champion and two-time World Para Athletics champion, Nate Riech. This partnership marks a big second for Riech, who turns into the primary Canadian Para runner to affix forces with the famend Japanese athletic model.
The information was shared throughout his social media platforms on Tuesday afternoon, and for Riech, it was a second of keen anticipation to lastly share this milestone. “It felt fairly superior,” Riech exclaimed, reflecting on the announcement. He even obtained a particular congratulatory message from ASICS athlete and 2022 world 100m champion, Fred Kerley.
An ideal match
When requested concerning the partnership with ASICS, Riech revealed that the connection initially started by Melissa Bishop-Nriagu, the Canadian ladies’s 800m file holder.
“It was a mutual exploration course of; Paralympic athletes typically encounter challenges when looking for sponsorships,” Riech stated. “Their motto ‘Sound Thoughts, Sound Physique’ resonated with me, particularly contemplating my invisible incapacity. It felt like an ideal match—particularly as a result of my first pair of spikes had been ASICS. Partnering with a model I like is actually thrilling.”
Riech falls below the T38 sport classification, the place disabilities are sometimes invisible. This classification is designed for runners with cerebral palsy, and athletes on this class might exhibit a slight limp whereas working however in any other case have a stride just like able-bodied runners. Riech’s incapacity got here from a freak accident when he was 10 whereas enjoying golf with pals. A golf ball hit him behind the pinnacle, inflicting a mind damage affecting the precise aspect of his physique.
Striving for excellence
As a Paralympic champion, world champion, and world file holder within the T38 1,500m occasion, Riech has already achieved outstanding success in his profession. Nevertheless, his willpower stays unwavering as he continues to intention greater. When requested about his motivation, Riech overtly expressed his want to compete with able-bodied athletes and attain the nationwide remaining within the males’s 1,500m on the 2024 Canadian Observe and Discipline Championships.
“My present motivation comes from my little brother, Max Tucker, who gained the U20 decathlon title at this 12 months’s Canadian Nationals,” says Riech. “Whereas he’s gifted within the 1,500m (the ultimate occasion of the decathlon), I consider I’ve an edge, and that conjures up me to work on my velocity.”
Reflecting on his previous season, Riech admitted that, aside from securing the World Para title in July, he fell wanting carrying out all of his targets. Waiting for 2024, he’s decided to show the tide and ship one other gold medal on the Paris Paralympic Video games.
Advocating for Para-athletes
Up till this partnership with ASICS, Riech confronted challenges getting sponsorships and has been a vocal advocate for better model assist for Para-athletes. He firmly believes that whereas his story is inspiring, it’s not distinctive. “I don’t assume my story is all that particular,” Riech humbly said. “Typically once you’re confronted with adversity, that you must work out the following step, and for me, turning into a Paralympic athlete was that step.”
This partnership with ASICS aligns completely with Riech’s dedication to advancing the Para motion. ASICS shares his imaginative and prescient of selling inclusivity and fostering development in Para sports activities. Though Riech has observed a rising curiosity within the Para motion, he believes there’s nonetheless far more to return. “I obtained way more recognition and congratulations for my victory on the World Para Athletics Championships this 12 months than I did throughout Tokyo 2020,” says Riech.
At 28, Riech joins the ASICS household, alongside a number of different Canadian athletes who characterize the model, together with Natasha Wodak, Madeleine Kelly and particularly Cam Levins—an athlete whom Riech has lengthy admired. “Levins’ journey from damage to breaking the Canadian marathon file–3 times–has been actually inspiring to observe,” Riech expressed. “As somebody coaching on the West Coast, I’ve at all times needed to satisfy him.”
Each Levins and Riech are setting their sights on the medal podium in 2024, with the shared purpose of proudly representing Workforce Canada on the most important stage and bringing residence some well-deserved {hardware}.
