Three-time Paralympic medalist Aaron McKibbin had never considered himself as disabled growing up.
The 30-year-old Londoner was born with talipes equinovarus, also known as clubfoot, and he spent much of his childhood in and out of hospital for corrective surgery on his feet.
But through his love of sport, and his parents' upbringing, he simply never believed he had a disability or considered himself as different - a message he is keen to pass onto the younger generation now.
Originally tennis was McKibbin’s passion but he was forced to abandon it, the first battle of acceptance he had faced regarding his condition.
“At the time it was a very easy decision [to give it up] because I wasn’t happy anymore,” he said.
“I wasn’t enjoying it and it was difficult for me to deal with losing to kids that I was beating comfortably before.
“I couldn’t accept that it was my disability. Back then I didn’t class myself as disabled - I had a condition. So when people would say to me that I was disabled I’d say I just had a condition.
“For me to then start to realise that I’m losing to these kids because I’m not quicker than them - because they’re getting stronger and faster - at nine or 10 years old kids don’t have any power.
“I was beating people by skill but, as you get older, physicality becomes part of it.
“Yes I was strong, and I could hit the ball hard as well, but I wasn’t quick enough to get to the ball. That was difficult to accept.
“I was looking at it from a selfish point of view - they're not as skilful as me but I’m now losing to them.
“After a while it continually happened and it just got to the stage where I’d had enough of this now.”
“I didn’t see table tennis as a sport”
Look at Aaron McKibbin now and you are met with a Team GB athlete who has represented his country at three Paralympic Games -winning three bronze medals along the way in table tennis.
It’s a record he is undoubtedly proud of but it’s a journey that might not have materialised after he gave up tennis.
After McKibbin stopped tennis there was a year where he essentially stopped participating in sport.
But one lunchtime at school, with the rain pouring outside, the students were kept indoors with table tennis tables set up in the gym.
As it so happened one of the coaches at the school was a high-ranking table tennis player himself, noticed McKibbin’s natural talent and invited him along to a training session.
“At first I wasn’t really interested, I was thinking table tennis isn’t even a sport,” McKibbin remembered.
“I didn’t see it as a sport at that time and thought it was a bit of a mess around. It’s something I deal with now daily when people tell me table tennis isn’t a sport!
“It really is, you’ve got to see it properly. But at the same time I understand what they mean, I used to think that as well!”
Sure enough McKibbin’s natural talent was soon followed by a desire to get stuck into the sport as he joined a local club and participated in some local competitions.
But after London were awarded the right to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games he was spotted by fellow Team GB table tennis player Will Bayley and told just how good he was.
“At that time I was still like ‘I’m not disabled, I’m not going to play at the Paralympics - you’ve got to be disabled for that’,” McKibbin explained.
“I got invited along to a camp and just by chance there was a spot at the next national tournament - someone had pulled out for their GCSEs or something - and they said ‘we’ve got a spot, it’s all paid for, do you want to come along?’
“I literally got back from that and I said to my mum this is what I want to do. This is my chance to play on the world stage that I always wanted in tennis.
“But I realised how professional it was and how amazing it was to represent Great Britain, you go there and you see all the different countries - it’s almost like little clans - it was just that competitive edge.
“It suddenly sparked it straight back into me and I was like ‘this is what I want to do’. From that moment on I said ‘I’m going to London 2012’.”
Go to London 2012 he did, winning a bronze medal as part of the men’s team, but now with three Games and three medals to his name McKibbin knows just how much the opportunity has changed him as a person.
“It’s taught me a lot about myself,” he said.
“When I came into the squad I was a very stubborn young person who thought he knew everything.
“It took years for me to really learn about myself and there’s still aspects of that where I’m quite a stubborn person. When I decide this is what I’m doing then this is what I’m doing.
“But I now know so much about myself I can see the signs where I get a bit nervous or I’m starting to feel a bit of pressure.”
"Why are we so stereotypical and why are there so many boxes?"
With the life lessons he has taken from sport and growing up in the way he has, what’s clear from speaking to McKibbin is how passionate he is in helping people realise their passions and break free of whatever box society may place them in.
It’s a message he is keen to promote at every opportunity after he fully realised just how much of a wider impact his voice can have when talking in schools with his medals in hand.
“Only you can tell yourself what you can and can’t do,” he said.
“I think now we live in an age where social media is so important and so much pressure is put on young people to be a certain way, or do a certain thing, if you do this then you’re wrong.
“It’s very difficult and it’s very strong-willed people alone who will be able to break out of that box and say ‘I don’t want to do that.’
“You’ll see a lot of people fall into it just through natural peer pressure and for me I think it’s sad that there’s so many people who are the same people.
“You can see that one person and then you can see 1000 of you. Everyone is an individual but now everyone just wants to fit in and be in that generic group and that’s alright for them.
“I sit there thinking ‘why are we so stereotypical and why are there so many boxes?’”
For the table tennis player, celebrating individuality in society is a key reason to help people come to terms with themselves and lead happier, more fulfilled lives.
“At the same time I know if I wasn’t doing what I was doing I would fall into those categories,” he added.
“I think people just need to be woken up and think there’s so much more to what you are doing now.
“It doesn’t mean to say you need to be successful or rich - being different doesn’t equal happiness and money.
“It’s something else that you did that sets you apart that maybe you love way more than day to day mundane stuff.”
MiracleFeet
Following the Tokyo Games, McKibbin became an ambassador for international charity MiracleFeet, which fundraises for treatment for clubfoot in developing countries.
“I try to raise as much awareness as I can for it and help raise the funds to reach as many children as possible around the world,” he explained.
“It’s a great charity and I’m glad there is one that can help because I’ve had fantastic treatment throughout my life.
“From what I understand, my condition, on the scale, was about a nine out of 10 in severity.
“I look at some children in developing countries where they have it very mildly compared to me but they are way worse off than I am.
“I sit there thinking if I was born in some of these other countries I don’t even know if I would be alive now to be honest.
“It makes you sit back and think - and days when I’m in a lot of pain - actually I’m very well compared to some people.”
- To find out more about Aaron McKibbin visit his website here
- For more information on MiracleFeet click here
