Paralympic, world champion runner Riech on mission to inspire others with brain injuries
Multiple world record holder from Victoria set to defend title at Para worlds
Nate Riech is running for much more than medals and records.
The reigning Paralympic and world champion from Victoria is at the top of his sport after a meteoric rise that saw him break records and shine on the brightest stage. But for Riech, being a Para athlete is about more than just personal accomplishments.
Riech's motivation to succeed is rooted in a mission to inspire others with traumatic brain injuries (TBI), to be the kind of Para athlete role model he didn't have growing up.
While Riech, 28, looked up to able-bodied stars such as Kobe Bryant during childhood, he has always wanted to be that figure for others facing similar challenges.
"For me growing up, I didn't really see any traumatic brain injury athletes," Riech told CBC Sports. "I looked up to a lot of big athletes like Kobe, but part of my motivation was that I want to be that athlete that when kids have TBI or have CP [cerebral palsy]. It's like wow, look what Nate did for his own career.
"That was my first goal when getting into Paralympic sport, to motivate and inspire the next generation."
The middle-distance runner suffered a TBI at 10 years old while golfing with friends, as a golfer from another group accidentally struck him in the back of the head with a shot from 150 yards away.
The injury affects the right side of Riech's body, placing him in the T38 classification for Para athletics. T38 is for athletes with coordination impairments to a low degree in the lower trunk and legs, entire body or down one side.
Riech is set to defend his men's T38 1,500-metre world title on July 17 at the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris, where he will also try to retain his Paralympic crown next summer.
WATCH | Canadian Para athletes ready for World Para Athletics Championships:
Riech captured his world title in 2019 during a phenomenal debut in Dubai and is ready to run it back in the French capital.
"It's definitely important to get there, but I'd be lying to you if I didn't say I'm going there to win," Riech said. "That's really why I'm going and that's why I train so hard.
Riech began to compete internationally after moving to Victoria, B.C., in 2018 to train at the Canadian Sport Institute (CSI) Pacific. He set T38 world records in the men's 800 and 1,500 events that same year at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Berlin.
Riech went on to lower his 1,500 record twice in 2019 and again in 2021, which currently stands at 3:47.89. He also holds the 5,000-metre world record, also set in 2021.
'That's why I'm doing all these things'
His accomplishments have already served as a powerful inspiration, with a young athlete from Norway now competing on the international stage after looking up to Riech.
Skjalg Kongssund, a T38 runner with CP, sent Riech an Instagram message when he was 13 to let him know he was a "great inspiration." Riech encouraged him to chase his dream, and this year the now 17-year-old lined up alongside his inspiration at the Grand Prix in Dubai.
Stories like that add fuel to Riech's fire as he continues to reach new heights on the track.
"That's why I'm still in the sport. That's why I'm still doing it," Riech said. "That's why I wake up at 7 a.m. by myself every morning to go and train.
It could be the first of many stories of inspiration stemming from Riech's journey as he continues to break new ground at the highest level of Para athletics.
"When you look at the journey he had to take and how relentless he was on his pursuit coming back, he was told at various times that there's things that would not be achievable in his life and he's knocked all that out of the park," said Heather Hennigar, his coach since 2018.
"He wants people, anyone who might be in his situation, to know that challenges can be overcome."
WATCH | Riech wins world title while setting meet record in 2019:
Riech comes from an impressive line of athletes, but he has paved his own path by turning a life-altering injury into a story of triumph.
His grandfather Jim Harrison played in the NHL for Toronto, Chicago and Boston. His father Todd competed in javelin for the U.S. at the 1996 Olympics, while his mother Ardin Tucker was a pole vaulter for Canada.
"Obviously my injury was super tough and the biggest thing that has ever happened to me in my life, but I'm really happy it happened because it taught me so many things. It let me pave my own path that's completely different," Riech said.
Struggles to land shoe deal
Despite all the success, Riech has been unable to land a shoe sponsor, something that could provide even more exposure and help share his journey with other people facing similar challenges.
It's also something he has always dreamed of.
"That has always been a bucket list thing for me," Riech said. "My biological dad was sponsored by Nike and Adidas, so I always wanted those."
Riech shared a denied sponsor application on Twitter earlier this year, something that was nothing new for him.
Been looking to get a shoe sponsor for several years now - no matter where I apply, it doesn’t happen. Definitely not frustrated with ON, I think they’re one of the best brands out there, but I’m definitely a bit sick of companies saying they want support “Para athletes”. <a href="https://t.co/doiFKHkPzW">pic.twitter.com/doiFKHkPzW</a>
—@NateGraywolf"When I got into the Paralympic sphere, they said 'You need to win these races.' Perfect. Checked all those off. But still, I talk to them and it's 'Oh, your story's not good enough. You don't have enough followers.'"
But if past is prologue, Riech will check that goal off his list like all the others before it, and continue to add new ones.
"One of the cool things with Nate is he'll set goals but then once he achieves them, he's like 'well I also had this goal.' He doesn't rest on his laurels," Hennigar said.
