Canadian Paralympian Nate Riech indicators skilled take care of ASICS

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 acquired 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 via Melissa Bishop-Nriagu, the Canadian girls’s 800m file holder.

“It was a mutual exploration course of; Paralympic athletes usually encounter challenges when looking for sponsorships,” Riech mentioned. “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 could exhibit a slight limp whereas operating 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 buddies. A golf ball hit him behind the pinnacle, inflicting a mind damage affecting the suitable facet 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. Nonetheless, his willpower stays unwavering as he continues to goal greater. When requested about his motivation, Riech brazenly expressed his need to compete with able-bodied athletes and attain the nationwide ultimate within the males’s 1,500m on the 2024 Canadian Monitor and Area Championships.

“My present motivation comes from my little brother, Max Tucker, who gained the U20 decathlon title at this yr’s Canadian Nationals,” says Riech. “Whereas he’s gifted within the 1,500m (the ultimate occasion of the decathlon), I imagine I’ve an edge, and that evokes 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 in need of undertaking all of his targets. Looking forward to 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 larger model assist for Para-athletes. He firmly believes that whereas his story is inspiring, it isn’t distinctive. “I don’t assume my story is all that particular,” Riech humbly acknowledged. “Generally once you’re confronted with adversity, you want to work out the subsequent step, and for me, changing 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 progress in Paralympic sports activities. Though Riech has observed a rising curiosity within the Paralympic motion, he believes there may be nonetheless far more to return. “I acquired much more recognition and congratulations for my victory on the World Para Athletics Championships this yr than I did throughout Tokyo 2020,” says Riech.

At 28, Riech joins the ASICS household, alongside a number of different Canadian athletes who signify 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–thrice–has been really inspiring to look at,” Riech expressed. “As somebody coaching on the West Coast, I’ve all the time wished to fulfill him.”

Each Levins and Riech are setting their sights on the medal podium in 2024, with the shared aim of proudly representing Staff Canada on the most important stage and bringing dwelling some well-deserved {hardware}.