Paralympic gold medalist and biochemistry student Faye Rogers returned to campus this week following a life-changing summer in Paris.
Faye took first place in the S10 100m butterfly in her first Paralympic games, adding the title to her 2023 World Championship gold in the same event.
“It's such a surreal feeling. I can't really describe it,” Faye said of being crowned Paralympic champion.
“I think at first, the main feeling was relief. You've trained 13 years for this one-minute race. I was super, super nervous and it probably wasn't the healthiest mindset going in but to come out of it and to have done what I wanted to do and won. It was just like - it's over. I'm done.
“I didn't really get excited until I was on the podium. I think even when you've touched the wall and you've looked at the scoreboard and you know that you've touched first there’s still that element of disbelief. I was staring at the scoreboard for a couple of minutes waiting to make sure I wasn't disqualified. Even though I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong, but still there's that element of – ‘what if?’.
“I came out of the pool and then it was all a big rush. I had media stuff and that sort of thing. So I got on the podium and only then had a chance to breathe for a minute, and I was like, whoa, this is crazy!
“It's not until the medal’s around your neck that you're like, I've done it, it's mine! And then the magnitude of what I’d done hit me. And I could see my family in the crowd and I got emotional. I was trying to take it all in and remember it but my mind was just going at a million miles an hour.
“It's still not sunk in. I'm not sure ever will really. But it's amazing. It's one of the coolest feelings ever. It's it really is.”
After the whirlwind of the last few weeks, Faye says it feels good to be back at university in Aberdeen and back to ‘reality’.
“I’m really glad to be back. It's brought a sense of normality. The last few weeks have been absolutely crazy. There's been so much media stuff, which I've loved - don't get me wrong - but it is nice to just kind of settle back into everyday life. Things feel so much more manageable without the stress of a Paralympic Games!
“I enjoy my course, I enjoy what I'm doing. I'm also looking forward to having the opportunity to say thank you to some of the members of staff who've been really, really supportive throughout my journey. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for certain members of staff who very much enabled this to happen.
One such person is her coach Patrick Miley, High Performance Swim Coach for the University of Aberdeen.
“I'm hugely proud, of course. Both Faye and Toni (Shaw, fellow student who won a bronze in Tokyo 2020 and also raced for Team GB at the Paris Paralympics) performed incredibly well in a really, really difficult challenging environment,” Patrick says.
“By that, I mean the scale of the event was just huge. They'd watched the Olympic performances in that incredible stadium on TV before they left and I could sense their nerves and anticipation of the event.
“I could see how nervous Faye was as she approached the starting block for that race, and I think she managed it incredibly well. But I know Faye really well, and I know that she wants more and wanted more and will continue to want more.”
How does Patrick go about motivating someone like Faye, who has already scaled such dizzying heights in the sport.
“I think the motivation comes from within. My role is to try and expose them to how they manufacture that within themselves. I don't believe that I can motivate them. I believe that I can create the environment around them where they choose to be motivated. They want to win. They want to train hard. They want to do well. They want to be competitive and I reckon both of them have a huge capacity to go back in four years and really make a mark.”
For now, the LA Paralympics in 2028 can wait, as Faye returns to balancing her swimming with her studies. However, she has returned to Aberdeen with a shining reminder of her achievement so far and her future potential in the form of her prized gold medal.
“I'm desperately trying not to scratch it or get it damaged,” Faye says, clutching the precious and surprisingly heavy metal around her neck.
“But it's really hard because you just want to hold it all the time. I got a big case for it, but it’s about the size of a shoe box, so it's hard to carry. So instead I've been transporting it in a pair of socks! So people ask, ‘oh, can I see your medal?’ and I whip out a pair of socks and everyone's like…right, okay!” She laughs.
“But it's the coolest thing ever. Every time I get to put it on, I get all excited.”
The next landmark tournament for Faye will be the World Championships in September 2025, where she will attempt to defend her gold medal and after that – The Commonwealth Games 2026 where she hopes she will be able to represent Scotland.