Meet Team Deloitte’s Curtis McGrath

[Music] in Afghanistan in 2012 I was deployed um over there and uh my role was to uh search for improvised explosive devices uh on the 23rd of August 2012 I was searching along um in a remote corner of the urgan province when I found an IED uh except I did it sort of the wrong way and I stepped right on top of this device and it it detonated beneath me and took both my legs instantly in that moment you know there's a lot of things going on a lot of pain and Trauma and not just for myself as well the guys around me were were going through that experiences as well I wanted to to say something or something that could help them in whatever way um and that was to to say oh guys I'll be fine I'll be fine I'll go to the paral Olympics or something like that in 2016 um I was the first Australian uh to win a gold medal in the power canoe uh event even though it's a debut so I'm going to claim that um and then in Tokyo and uh 5 years later they had added another event to the the parak canoe schedule um and that was an out rer canoe and I lined up for my final in in Tokyo and and blew the field away because uh I'd prepared so well I was very comfortable I was very fit and strong and um was really Keen to to show what I could do uh in Tokyo and I managed to to bring home two gold there as well I I think athletes can add a lot to an organization and Dee's really great to be able to offer uh employment opportunities to athletes and really helps um transition an athlete outside or away from sport because we can't be athletes forever you know all the skills and assets that we learn as athletes um to we can now bring it into the workplace and I think de's opening up a really amazing opportunity of that employment of athletes you know de's given me an amazingly flexible work environment um I'm able to train full-time but also work part-time and flexible hours around your meetings in my training so having that flexibility is probably the first and foremost for an athlete um because our training is so intense and so all-encompassing you know we're away for a period of time competing um but also having a a really understanding and working environment with my team my colleagues here uh and having that sort of good caderie around what I'm trying to achieve and how they can support me as well a future first moment for me I would love to see an equal opportunity from broadcasting from sponsorship from event management and organization uh to see that the Olympics and the par Olympics are sort of held at the same regard just having that opportunity of equal uh equal sort of resources and equal uh event space and and money and funding and all that sort of thing would be great to see [Music]