Stephen Clegg takes ‘once in a lifetime’ gold as Paralympic dream becomes reality

“It’s a once in a lifetime experience and I’ll never do it again. I loved every second of it.

“It’s a challenge sometimes, especially when you’ve had success earlier in the week. You want to celebrate and shout – shout to the rooftops – but you have to keep all those emotions fairly calm.

“Overall it was very special. I enjoyed the Games. The crowd in La Defense Arena speaks for itself. It’s something I’ve never seen before and I don’t think I’ll ever experience it again.”

He may be right. The noise level was outrageous as Clegg stormed to this victory.

He used that crowd to his advantage. Against 17-year-old Frenchman Kylian Portal, who received a deafening welcome seconds before the Scot appeared.

Instead of flinching, the 28-year-old simply lapped it up, waving his arms as if the encouragement was for him. It wasn’t. He knew that, but he didn’t care.

It was an incredible atmosphere and setting for this biggest moment.

The difference between winning and losing in this sport was made painfully clear when Portal walked past Clegg in the interview area, inconsolable and crying, missing out on bronze by just 0:04 of a second.

As the enormity of it all dawned on him, Clegg somehow had the presence of mind to put it all into a meaningful context.

His sister, Libby, is a Paralympic great, someone he holds in the highest regard, someone he wants to emulate, but not just with medals.

“I look at my sister with a lot of respect, not because of what she has achieved in medals,” he explained. “She is still miles ahead of me.

“She has inspired a lot of people and I think greatness is not just about what you do at the competition venues, but also about the impact you have on others.

“If I want to get to that level and see myself as someone with a legacy or success at a really meaningful level in the sport, that’s what I need to look at for the future. Golds will come and go.

“The impact you can have on future generations is what really counts and the impact you can have on the sport.

“I think that’s what greatness in sport is really about. It’s not just about medals. That’s what I want to try to discover and see if I can emulate that in some way and at some level.”

He will do well to emulate this achievement and experience. The most memorable gold medal for Stephen Clegg as these Paralympic Games draw to a close.