Silver Medalist Para Olympian AHMED KELLY INTERVIEW

hello everyone and welcome to sd7tv where you're going to be inspired and formed so you can escape the ordinary I'm Susan Sheehan and it is my absolute pleasure to have with me today Ahmed Kelly Ahmed is a paralympian silver medalist and I'm so excited to have our Med with us I find him an absolute inspiration and I know that you're going to as well so Ahmed thank you so much for joining us today thank you so much for having me on your show and hello to everybody listening at home or wherever you may think it's uh yes well we will be going out we go Global soon you know you you'll be reaching this this this is going to be reaching a few people and I think that's really special because I think that you know we're in a world right now and I know you'll agree that a lot of people out there are finding it tough going you know there's so many changes going on we've just come through this this pandemic you know people have lost jobs people are studying starting new careers people are confused about what's next the economy the real estate there's so much stuff going on that people do really get confused and then I think people get stuck in what's not working rather than seeing forward and really seeing that even though they may feel stuck that I think everybody has the potential to be resilient and get up and keep going wouldn't you agree with that I do agree with that and yeah it has been a very challenging few years to be doing the pandemic and now as we uh that our lives beyond the pandemic uh we are feeling lots of different pressures from the pandemic some who are struggling to socialize some who are um trying to get jobs and things like that so I totally totally understand it um and I think the best way for now is to create more goals now we all have the big goals and that's fine have those big goals but I I really challenge you to have those small goal leading to that big goal so that you can uh see that you're achieving the small ones as you get uh and get progression so I mean things aren't important things don't always happen overnight and and I urge you to don't be too tough on yourself um and just to really find uh get more goals leading to that big goals and then be kinder to yourselves as well so yeah really happened I know we all I know we all want things to happen really straight away you've got you've got you've got three really really really big big points there let's break it all up a little bit a little bit is that how you you've you've made it too still because they know that your story is like mind-blowing and I congratulate you for your courage and we can go through that but you know this conversation is just going to go where it goes you know so we're talking about Gods so do you you have a big goal of of that gold medal right I mean all Olympians see that gold medal so you you do you chunk your goals up into bite-sized pieces and and Achieve those bite size pieces first absolutely uh obviously yeah the long-term goal is to get a gold medal for Australia will be an incredible feeling but the journey through that gold medal is just as important uh so having those small goals and for me it started many years ago I mean it would have been amazing if I got a gold medal medal as soon as I started but it wasn't quite like that uh my first James was the London 2012 family big games which was an amazing thing to do and for me to look back and reflect on it uh I was really proud of my experiment and my both of those games were a lot different to what my Approach will be coming to this Paris uh I was a newbie learning a lot and uh trying to really understand the whole concept of international relating at the top level it doesn't get any higher than a paralympic game and basically for me just to really um enjoy the experience and learn as much as I could and give it my best thoughts and some of us I think we forget about take the historic Market on wanting a certain goal and never stay getting all you got to do is give it your best shot um so yeah that's all I did and really enjoyed it gave me my best start and I've had anything forced overall in the 50 meter breaststroke I am more fitted towards a longer event but at that time 50 bus track was uh what was available to me and I worked extremely hard to be a competitive about it and it's been a course overall and then after that I got a case of it and I said I really want to do this again so uh fast for another four years the Rio paralympic games it ended up being more of an expectation I said so um but then the goals are one thing decorating for another thing uh so my expectation was that I wanna I really wanted to be on that Podium whether it's from whether it's gold I just wanted to be on that Podium because I wanted it so bad I really lost track of the product and really when things went coming together I just focused so hard on the things that weren't coming together rather than the things that were actually coming together um because you have got so many like just nutshells here that I just want to tap into so the first event the first paralympic event was you sort of feeling your way getting familiar with it getting getting seeing how it works getting your head around the process you know getting seen starting that getting to know process because that's what it's all about isn't it so what was the shift in your mindset from that shift that you you made within yourself with your mindset because there was a there was a big shift there wasn't there it was and and this is where I was trying to I accepted is the fact that I put self-pressed off uh in on my own and to the point that I actually wasn't managing really really well uh and I know I had a lot of sports psychologists kind of helped me and um we had a lot of different strategies in place at the end of the day I had one goal and to get in that into the podium and if I wasn't if I wasn't feeling that I was getting there I would really beat myself up as better on my own did have external press up and then internal professional that you put on yourself you wanted it so badly that you lost you lost sight of the process correct uh so uh the results sober uh I end up finishing seventh overall in the 50 meter breakout uh and again even plus plus two on your my personal best time so even wasn't able to send my best friend because how did that make a little bit disappointed but also really understanding the fact that okay I need to work on my weaknesses and realize how I can fix up that expectation and I think we all have yeah of managing our own ethics and then I found out for everybody I think most people they see it they want it tomorrow don't they they see it they want it tomorrow and I guess that was you went it you loved it you loved the energy you love being there you saw yourself answer sorry you saw yourself on top of that Podium and you just wanted it um so I guess the lesson there you listen to this guy is that you've got to be okay with doing the work and and and growing as you go I guess you've done that haven't you you grow as you go absolutely and there's nothing wrong with wanting something so bad as long as you don't put so much pressure on it and where I have strategies in place and uh goals in place to work for that and really be kinded to yourself if things aren't working out uh don't beat yourself up it doesn't have to be a be-all or end-all sort of correct um so yeah and that's what pretty much I learned so much out of my style for myself and that experience and I saw myself all right I need to still work on my manage my expectations if I wanted to go to Tokyo which I did I needed to get that part uh execute that part really well so again more psychology sessions working on managing expectations and also I think my environment as well I went to Canberra and playing full-time at the exchange Institute of sport because it's three and one question three build up to the paralympic games uh because I took a year uh break from um from the real games and then from 2017 2018 onwards uh was at AIS for the Tokyo again Pretender being the four-year five-year cycle sorry because of over and everything but uh yeah it allowed me to continue to work with support psychologists new environment where I pretty much focused all my energy and and being surround things being surrounded with people of like mind and people understood the journey that you were on spectacular exactly and that's the thing that sacrifices were a lot easier because everybody understood uh what you needed to do I mean the damn thought of it I did miss my family and friends back at home in Melbourne uh but at least they all understood that I was there to do to do the job and prepare myself for the Tokyo games and I couldn't be more grateful for their support in that in that process um so yeah for me to get to Tokyo uh I imagine might have had understand managing my expectation was fantastic and uh 50 meter breaks that was a lot better but I also picked up another event which ended up being uh suitable for me which was the 150 meter individual medley and for those people watch this yeah and for those I don't really understand what the 150 million individual medley is uh uh the paralympic games or um races are all all have classifications so class stations one percent are your physical accessibility where one it was quite severe and and not not so and it's very hard to prepare um so I'm a number three for the individual medley so four and under do to 150 meter and they drop out the butterfly lake so everybody starts with the backstroke leg the butterfly a little bit more challenging for us which it is uh so yeah and that's why it's not 200 and the 150 so the 150 uh is an event I picked up and it suited me because it's a longer event that's the guitar but uh definitely a much longer than that I can work myself into the race as well did you enjoy it did you enjoy I I watched it it was amazing did you and you you look like you just love doing it yeah I definitely do enjoy writing the uh the medley and uh and I enjoy the Collins it photos on me I I mean it challenges is from the very far too to execute your rank plan uh as best as you can um for a long period of time with what I love so you don't quite get to start right it's okay it's not or it's not over yet but you just keep working hard and keep putting towards uh defines so um which is pretty good um in my sense and yeah I love the talent uh and uh and it's very hard as a as a lower class athlete to understand where you are in the race these are sort of these go um focus and ensure that you're not distracted with things that you can't control so that's that's just you know I I watch I watch you and I and I and it's like oh my gosh how does he how does he just how did he get started doing it so would you like to share a little bit about you know I know that we have come from and where you are today that Journey you must have had to look one of the things that we we we inhibited coach people to do is to play the mind game every day because we get this right every day then we move forward um and that's just the reality of it isn't it so you know we all we all we're all we all have a past and and we can choose to live in the pain of the past or we can choose to have a preview of the future so you clearly have have you clearly have just stay focused on that preview of your future but share a little bit about where you've come from and and how did you adjust your mind because you're you're where you are where you work to where you are now has been a huge mental emotional and physical transition yeah I I was uh originally born at a Baghdad Auckland in Iraq and was brought over to by an incredible humanitarian called lawyer Kelly and uh her um life goal was the self-disadvantaged children uh to come to Australia or either surgery to uh basically save their life or change their life and from my sense it was to change my life uh in terms of I was walking around with crooked legs um and basically the the the old goal was for me to come to Australia have surgery on my legs so I could wear prosthetic legs uh and then long story thought I was able to have this surgery um go to school and learn how to I play sports which I really really enjoyed learn how to write um all that sort of things that were challenging for me from the very beginning but the thing was I had so much support and so much people that believed in me all I really had to do is put in and uh and basically give it my best thought as well and um never gave up because I know when I give a new giving up was meaning that I'd be back from square one which I really didn't want to do so to have progress in life with to escape um keep looking forward and keep working hard in that sense and yeah I love the fact that there are so many people who who along my journey were so supportive and had so much belief in what I was doing and what I they must have fallen in love with you is that what happened because you know maybe to pick up to well I mean I I love kids we we have a children's charity so I I love kids and I'm all about you know wanting wanting to do the best that we can so more children can grow up with the mindset of what we're talking about you know and not stuck in the pain of the past but to be to be plucked out of these people because they can see that you could get help and then coming to a strange country with all these strangers they and you came with your brother didn't you oh yeah yeah I've been with my brother Emmanuel um yeah we're both at that Baghdad Auckland uh and he also needed some surgery on his pants as well as his legs so those are quite crooked as well he's quite the musician he is he found his passing uh singing uh he was on X Factor in 2011 and some of you may have remembered him singing uh John Lennon's imagine yes it's a wonderful rendition of that and um yeah we're so proud of him and still singing which is great and also got lots of different other goals I say I'm proud of what he's been able to escape and what is well I think I think you're probably great support great support for each other but how did you feel when you came to this strange country all of a sudden you've got all these people that are just there for you and your brother from Angels so how did that make you feel and and did you did you fall in love with everybody immediately as well or was there a process and I know your mum I mean what an amazing woman she is I would love to talk to her because what a what a heart she must have you know yeah we've got an incredible heart and I'm both a million and I came out we weren't the only kids I I had that we had a few other kids that came out as well and those kids also had some challenging um things as well so that made a medical assistant as well but growing up uh in Gilmore with my mom and all the kids that she's helping and all the volunteers were also supporting her and a lot of amazing people that came on board it actually allows you to uh to understand what's going on and also not to pay things for granted yeah and it teaches you that there are people a lot worse offer than you are because I mean yeah I have no arms in my legs but there were kids who could speak their kids were burnt like third degree burn like even perfect and they head to that um stomach all sorts of things that you would see and then you're like well no I haven't got it outside yeah I might have no arms in my legs but I'm still found and I can still speak and um go enjoy the things of life and I now get around with the prosthetic like not bad at all yeah um and then uh so it's really easy to do that very very quickly uh so I'll go to kids and I do hear about some of them whinging about silly things I mean like it's hard because they haven't been exposed to it it's more uh more on the fact that I had to teach myself a lot of things and sometimes at work farewell and other times it didn't yeah um but I never gave up and I knew whatever it is that I I wanted to try and do just for twice as long um and definitely not expected everybody out there but that's okay I'm still able to be as independent as I can and where I'm not independent I have amazing support around yes of course Calamity right so so you got you you you you had the surgeries to get your body a higher functioning and then you love sport you got into sport you had this new family and all these people that were caring about you so how did you get into swimming did you just jump in the water one day and go this is where I belong not quite I'll be honest with you there uh I did love uh Sports and I tried out all sorts of sport where I was in primary school and the uh took a lot out of um Aussie work but I really really enjoyed it and played a bit of that uh in primary school and then went to secondary school and then also joined my local football team come filmora football club and again they were extremely supporters and really um embraced who I am and what I was able to do and I'm extremely grateful for this day for everything they've been able to do for me uh and yeah all I had to do was give him my best shot and I'd played a few years with some more football club and I came a time where I can make it I'm sorry did you say you played football yeah for for my primary school my um Secondary School Assumption College Gilmore and on to the local football thing all right just like everybody else yeah when you get tackled and things like that nothing too crazy so meaning the question we've got a little bit of delay in time here I'm sorry sometimes it sounds like I'm cutting you off um meaning did did it's sort of like it's sort of like a woman sometimes in playing sports or doing things with guys there's that gentleman thing like I I I I was a black belt Taekwondo and I know sometimes when you when you're sparring with me it's like oh be gentle because you're a woman so you know did you no no no no do not do that do not treat me gently but did you have that sort of thing going on now this is our Med coming in so we have to be gentle we've got to treat him carefully did you ever have that sort of stuff happen or maybe in Italy but once they've got to know who I am and what I was capable of uh I think I've got thrown out the window this is what I want yeah yeah but I mean for the moment and that's the thing like wherever I went or whatever I do the first moment you made me you like oh wow I'm quite confronting I I do get it and believe me I'm I'm nowhere near compared to some of the other guys who've had things a lot worse that um you'd feed them anything wow it is it can be confining I'll be honest with you but for me uh I I do recognize that uh but it's not until people understand what I'm able to do and what I'm believable up then they realize oh you started swimming because you know everybody can do us do something that they like and it's like I I want to swim so how what was that what was that thinking that you went I'm going to become an Olympic swimmer because that's something another level isn't it absolutely uh so yeah it wasn't until I had to make a decision to leave all the rules behind so it's got a little bit challenging for my Prosthetics and my rnas but I'm very blessed to have and there's some guys that are with prosthetics that don't have and me so they have that full control as I do uh that actually got a little bit more challenging once I wanted to play senior football I mean I was willing to do it but because I loved support so much but if I had um I sat down and I would find everything and yeah it hurt but the decision was to really look after my body for the future I mean even though I don't really think about it as a card was more about singing for those future so yeah I wasn't until a few months down the track by Olympic Australia I had The Talented identification date where pretty much outfits with a disability or people with a disability got to provide all the different sports that's popular big games and so yeah my name to buy everything out swimming was one of them and um yeah I really enjoyed it I could see myself embracing it I could see I had passion for it and I could see myself getting those and the first goal was to pretty much yeah give it your best shot in the pool and stay where you go and a little did I know that I had a lot of work to do because the way I looked at me at the time was pretty much the survival Instinct rather than uh competitive sort of thing uh so now I have to change the mindset from survival to actually compete and uh try um but that start assuming right um so yeah did a lot of sessions uh start with to get my uh ghosts in line with uh the rules and regulations within swimming and then yeah my first one was I think it was when I got the Nationals time and I won my first base at Nasa in my class which will be amazing I wouldn't be amazing to now be able to be in a position to represent Australia and be and say thanks thank you sir for everything they've done and embrace who I am and pretty much been here in New York City in life yeah wow okay so again it's that process of just getting up and doing it and and you sort of your vision of what you wanted grew as you became more confident in your ability to do it exactly that can be applied to everything we do in life can't it absolutely uh whatever it is I mean everybody's uh they're having a different goals and different things I'd like to escape as long as you uh that your mindset right and have a goal in life more goal pretty girl uh you'll be able to see some you know do you know I never thought I could do it you know the percent of people that actually achieve goals is quite low compared to the number of goals that are set you know a lot of people set goals but more people don't get the goals than actually do and and so you know it's what what is your secret to actually getting the goals there's no point in setting a goal you know you can't escape yeah absolutely no point in doing that because then that led to yourself it lets you down and and then you you'll be too afraid to set the next goal so this is why we say have realistic goals and this is what the small goals are about they've got to be realistic because sometimes non-realistic because it's a long way to go but once you see those small goals and they're realistical they are a pathway to that big goal and that's what I've been able to do from the very very beginning okay what do I need to do in to get the sub level I'm thinking that I don't get disqualified picked up my site and the thing is that that took a while so I had to fix up e sorry but then the qualified but then then I get to the club right and I don't get disqualified so then you don't say okay what do I need to achieve in this club level competition time for State campus and that's all you got to do and again that comes down to go okay how many folks you're going to take from one one end of the wall to the next the 50 you want to try and get to the first book you might find get it down to 49 and 48. you're not going to try and do 40 within a within a week because it's not that easy so if you say Okay I want to do one less strike that week and keep working do you see how um are having that small goal yeah 100 easy to stop one product as opposed to Clan within the first week because Bill had a fantastic uh there's nothing wrong with that either no no uh just trying to have that I think I think while you I think while one is learning how to really set and get goals I think what you're talking about is essential so they can also build are you listening to us guys so you can also build up that confidence that you can [Music] is and you know what it's it's as easy as just smiling and saying I can't even if a belief is telling you no you can't but the more that you tell yourself you can the the more the the faster you weaken this I can't so share with us then what what does the day look like in the life of Ahmed Kelly when you're in training yeah it's quite a digital program uh and it tasted you to be extremely organized like there's a lot of things that can go on within a day and no they can be exactly the same uh in terms of schedules or like the train schedules are always okay so I'll explain it in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon especially as we get closer to the paralympic games we pick up extra sessions so as of next month I'll pick up two extra symptoms uh so technical uh they'll be apparently doing seven sessions it'll take me after nine seven questions um and basically that's just to give us more time to work on the skills as well as the conditioning Cloud assuming um so yeah so you've got your eight or nine sessions per week then you have them for that or always very so uh depending on the day I could have three sessions so on a Monday at 7 in the morning them afterwards and I ask them again in the afternoon uh the day off there'll be another swim and at this time either a Pilates or again it could be sports right we work on all aspects to ensure that we can give our best uh recording in terms of performance and how much sleep do you get tonight uh we aim between eight to ten hours ten hours would be ideal but we aim between eight to ten hours and this is the thing like uh especially leading up with it I made the conflict or a major event uh and athletes or people will be so scared that they can't perform at their very best because they've only had four or five hours yeah it is important but it's they've got to realize that one night back about one night of not sleeping well isn't gonna put your performance uh in Deputy at all like multiple nights yeah and this is why we again work on Sports bipolarly things so that we can wind down that that are going down a bit to relax a bit so yeah that comes down to experience as well uh and how many times you do something and nerds are great it means you really are invested in business so don't put that away at all but if it's more controlling your mindset in a way that allow doesn't perform the best and food how do you have do you eat to a plan or do you eat what you like or do you do a mixture of both do you have a naughty day you're right I mean it does both and everything in moderation uh and really um killing yourself like feeding yourself at that respective for any if you're doing a lot of kilometers then you do need a lot of food to recover yeah as we get closer to a composition we're not doing as much therefore you don't eat as much even though your your belly is asking for more food you don't do it because you're not getting through it because yeah the spectrums are much lighter so again it's high protein sort of like rather than a high carb diet so it's a good start when you're in a big endurance Block it's a high carb diet and okay so of course did I suggest to what your training relationship is and what what's your favorite naughty food oh we all have a favor yeah I do enjoy chocolate uh whatever but Pizza do you love a pizza yeah you can actually have a ticket I never have it together but yeah you haven't had a chocolate pizza no yeah well we've got a little we've got a little Pizzeria down there across the road and down the road around the corner but for me oh wow they make a banana chocolate pizza for dessert like a banana cream chocolate pizza uh well the only time I'll be having that is that when I'm in a heavy insurance so two more questions so what um and thank you so much this is just so valuable for myself gosh you know because most people most people get stuck in the car most people get stuck in the too hard and and I know even though you are so incredibly positive and you're so successful and you've got this amazing attitude and energy but I also know that you'll have days where you feel like oh you know you've got to push through the heart do you have a do you have a mind game or a daily ritual or what do you do when you feel that energy where it's just like oh my gosh can I do this today do you have a strategy that you use a little bit more challenging than you're expecting them today well whatever for whatever reason and everybody they may wake up and thank God it's just not coming to plan and yeah we all have it uh and if it does bring me down uh and I have had bad days uh the easiest way for me to get out of it is a phone call to someone you really care about uh and then they'll pick up your mood really really fast because other people's positive energy so you feed off other people's positive energy and it's hard for those that feel like they are on their own they totally get it um my strategy is find someone that you can call or you can be a buddy with they can give each other a call because yeah positive energy uh always overwrite a negative energy so I can also having a better day then you know help you that's a good uh you know mental health is a big issue we're actually holding a uh a free uh seven seven part series on Mental Health we've got some amazing experts coming in just to give some simple tips and that is a that is a simple tip isn't it call somebody that's that's going to smile at you yeah and they don't they'll they'll be unbeknown to how you're feeling uh and you'll you can even tell them oh listen I'm having a rubbish day and so I'm not really need to vent and that's fine and people totally understand that and um if you feel like you're going to be a burden from someone then that's not true uh so just feel free to give them a call let them know what you're going through and I know that's a huge risk really understand that but if they're really your friend they will be more than happy to help you so yes if you feel if you feel like you're going to be a burden to somebody you're calling the wrong person aren't you absolutely yeah I couldn't agree more with that statement um so yeah basically call someone who you know is there for you uh and and you'll never know you might be on on the other side next time you have to help them out so this is also this is also this is also where your coaches and your team can help as well I mean you know as a as a as a professional athlete as a paralympian as a Superstar athlete because that's what you are you have coaches and trainers that really help you and I think you know in business more people need need to really need to grasp hold of the fact that if you truly want to be successful for all the reasons that we've talked about you're going to have coaches and trainers that are going to help you be there to fill in the gaps and support those days where you just need to know more or you need to put a smile on your face I mean it's that simple so I know that we're running out of time here but what would be three things that you would suggest to to any listener that is feeling like life is just too hard it's quite an easy one for your friends right tell them what you're going through number two create a plan for yourself uh and I want small realistic goals relating to that big goal and number three um therefore is realize what your strengths are hey everybody has respect and realize that you are not useful because I don't believe anybody on this Earth is you and I know sometimes you're going through things I can't seem to do anything right I'm not good at this I'm not good at that they're all leaving excuses I'll be honest with you but look there are big dates and realize what are the things that you've been able to do really well maybe not now but in the past uh what have you been and work towards professional because you all have it um so they are my three things that I would really encourage you all to do is I think that's important isn't it to remember what you have done because and and remember also think about you know we've been aware now and how you've got through challenges it's very very powerful I mean thank you so much I'm I'm so grateful that you joined us today uh and this is this is such an you are such an inspiration your story is an inspiration but your headspace blows my mind and that's what I wanted people to get hold of I wanted people to see how how you know you know that that what goes on up here is more valuable than anything else you have mastered that so thank you so much let's do this again we're closer to the Paralympics I just am so excited to be able to watch you I was jumping up and down on my lounge at the last ones watching you so much you know get really excited about it so thank you so much it's been an absolute pleasure and I know that whatever you do and I know you've got a couple of career things going on maybe we can talk about that another day um but I know that whatever you do you're going to just kick ass so congratulations uh thank you so much thank you someone had me on the show there's gonna really quick day being on it I think it's been just so much fun thank you so much so guys I hope you took notes and and really identified what you're already doing what you need to do better and what did you get from this conversation that you've got oh my gosh I can do that have a wonderful day and we'll see you back with another incredible human being at another time have be safe