Perhaps even Chris Skelley’s rivals would struggle to begrudge him a second Paralympic gold.
The Hull-born star is bidding to make history by becoming the first British para judo athlete to retain a gold medal since Simon Jackson in 1996.
Paris 2024 will bring the curtain down on a glittering career, with Skelley opting to step away from judo as he looks to start a family with wife Louise after this summer’s Games.
Before he writes his final chapter, let’s take a look back at Skelley’s remarkable story.
MULTI-TALENTED IN HIS YOUTH
Skelley’s parents Kathy and Peter wanted their shy son to try two sports as a way of making new friends and keeping him occupied. No one could have foreseen how that simple wish would shape his life.
First came rugby, where Chris played for Hessle Rugby Club and then Hull Ionians, insisting he was a full-back when joining the latter before being thrust into the front row.
Skelley played alongside future Premiership rugby star Simon Hammersley and was part of an Ionians team which won several Yorkshire Cups, all while he was excelling on the judo mat.
A wife of one of Skelley’s first rugby coaches mentioned a nearby dojo and when he went along to Haltemprice Judo Club in East Yorkshire, Skelley was shocked by what he found.
“I had never seen a sport like judo, and I just wanted to have a go,” said Skelley, speaking to The National Lottery.
“I never expected to enjoy it. I think mum and dad were quite worried about me and instead of sitting around with nothing to do, I was always training.
“I never thought I’d fall in love with any sport, but I did with judo and rugby, and it’s been a great buffer for me. It’s been a shining light in my life when things got tougher.”
LIFE-CHANGING DIAGNOSIS
Skelley’s love for judo took on an even deeper meaning late in his teens.
He started to lose his sight and was diagnosed with Oculus Albinism, Bell’s Reflex, and Extreme Photophobia, which resulted in him having to give up his apprenticeship to become a mechanic while forcing him to quit rugby.
“That was the biggest dark period of my life, because everything I’d built up for myself got whisked away from me. And there is no manual [for living with sight loss], there’s no-one there to go, ‘this is how you should do it’,” Skelley recalled to PA News Agency.
“It’s through learning and making mistakes, and learning from those mistakes, that you learn how to live a bit better.”
The one thing Skelley did have left was judo. He continued to train at his local club in Hull but soon made the permanent move to British Judo headquarters in Walsall.
There, he secured a place on the Paralympic Inspiration programme for London 2012, which allowed aspiring athletes to live in the Olympic Village.
“Experiencing London like that was amazing,” he told The National Lottery.
“It taught me you have to be resilient, there are a lot of tough times as an athlete. Seeing it up close, it takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get where you want to get.”
Four years later, he was front and centre of the action in Rio and though he lost in the bronze medal match, the seeds for success had been sown.
FAIRYTALE COMPLETE
In 2019, Skelley became the world No.1 in the -100kg category and he delivered on the expectations set of him in Tokyo, summoning the performance of a lifetime to beat Ben Goodrich at Nippon Budokan.
“It’s been a long road for the last 11 years – it was heartache in Rio but now it’s a different type of crying, it was a big relief,” Skelley blubbed to PA.
“Eleven years ago I was in the darkest part of my life because everything left me and the only thing that was left was my judo and to have that come true today, I couldn’t believe it.
“Everyone has just supported me over the years and believed in me. A lot of the time I’ve not believed in myself.
“I never expected to do this as a job; it’s my hobby, I love it because I love judo. And to stand here and talk to you now as a Paralympic champion, I’m lost for words.”
THE LAST DANCE
Skelley’s life has changed considerably since Japan. He’s now a married man - to fellow Paralympian Louise Hunt – has become an MBE and, in Paris, will come face-to-face with the ‘big boys’ following the removal of the -100kg and +100kg category for one +90kg event.
Yet the Yorkshire native is unwavering in his quest to surmount this final hurdle before hanging up the gi.
“I am in a new category, so I am now the chasing pack again,” said Skelley. “I am the chaser, I am the hunter, and I am trying to hunt down that gold medal.
“I love overcoming new challenges, my whole life has been challenges in different ways and I have always had to overcome them.
“I have loved what I have done, I have loved representing my country, I have loved meeting people on this wonderful journey, and I am just trying to enjoy the moment.”
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