Paris Paralympics: Claudy twins taking on the world

This year’s Paris Olympic games provided us with the usual thrills and spills and the Paralympics promises to do the same. For Claudy based twin sisters and para-triathletes Judith and Chloe MacCombe, it’s been an unusual journey and one that they didn’t anticipate. 

After trying a number of sports including karate, rugby, and rowing at school and later a university, they were ‘spotted’ and encouraged to go for a try-out for the triathlon.

Chloe said: “After university, we continued with rowing. We were selected for the Irish development squad. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out. It fell through, and we were sort of still training to a high level, but we had nothing really to put our energy into. 

“We bumped into a man from triathlon Ireland who asked us, can you swim, cycle and run? 

“To which we answered, not really, but he was like, ‘You know what. There’s a training day in Belfast next month. I want to see you there’ - and here we are now. That was six years ago.”

Both Chloe and Judith were born with a form of Albinism which has left them with greatly reduced vision meaning they have to use a guide during the events. The guides are connected to the athletes with a tether during the 750-metre swimming leg, they ride in tandem during the 20-kilometre cycling leg with the guide in the front, and they return to a tether during the final five kilometre running segment. 

For both Judith and Chloe using a guide is one of the most challenging aspects of the event.

Chloe said: “I’ve been working with my guide, Catherine Sands for four years, and I do trust her, but there is always, I suppose, a little bit of an element of fear at times. 

"If maybe conditions are wet on the bike, or if the water is particularly choppy, it can be a little bit tough to trust your guide, but ultimately, they are our eyes. They’re not going to let anything bad happen. But I’d say for me that’s sometimes the most difficult.”

The girls have been involved with the RNIB for a number of years and have made ‘great friends’, hosted events and even given talks on stage. 

"There’s always been a great level of support", says Chloe. “Throughout school and throughout university, you know, we were able to go to them and say, you know, what are we entitled to? What can we ask for? How can we get the help that we need?

“And there’s always sort of different events as well that you can meet up with, with other visually impaired people, because sometimes it can feel quite isolating when you feel like you’re the only visually impaired person in the world. So, the advice has always been there, and the support has always been there. It’s been fantastic. It’s just, it’s just great to have something there, even if you’re not using it all the time, it’s always there for whenever you need it, which is great.”

According to Judith and Chloe the triathlon has made them more ‘confident’.

Judith said: ‘It’s allowed us to, I suppose, really push ourselves in ways that we never thought was possible.

“Physically, it’s just been an incredible journey. Definitely, I feel like we’re a lot more confident because of it.”

As far the girls are concerned visual impairment hasn’t stopped them from competing at a high level and would encourage anyone who enjoys sport to get involved. 

Chloe said: ‘If you have a visual impairment and you’re keen to try sports, just get out and do it. Speak to the coaches or who-ever is in charge of your local club, whatever it may be, and they might be able to help you.”

Judith said: “Looking forward to the games the twins are keen to experience the ‘atmosphere’ and ‘energy’ not just of the Games but also the Olympic village: ‘I think it’ll just be a fantastic experience.”

She added: “It’ll just be a once in a lifetime experience; hopefully more than once in a lifetime. I think the atmosphere right there will be incredible in the Athletes Village, I think that’s going to be an experience in itself. it’s going to be unreal.”