Craig Allen is gunning for table tennis glory and preparing in the perfect way possible – by learning from two former champions.
Para-sports star Allen, 27, was one of five young athletes to be hand-picked to take part in a special Zoom mentoring session with former Paralympic gold medallist Danny Crates and four-time Olympian Donna Fraser.
The in-depth, 90-minute session was set up by Entain and SportsAid – who financially support Allen’s journey – with former training partners Fraser and Crates now forming a dynamic duo delivering expert advice.
All five athletes were given the chance to ask a range of questions covering topics such as setbacks, preparation and training and Allen, who is set for a memorable debut at next summer’s hometown Commonwealth Games, said: “It was really interesting to see how they work together – Danny did Paralympic sport whereas Donna did Olympic sport.
“Even though there are differences between Paralympic and Olympic sport, they could work together to do things, and there are things that crossover and things that apply to both of them.
“It adds a bit more like perspective because they definitely know what they're talking about. Danny may be a bit more relatable to me, but Donna will completely understand the Paralympic side of things.
“There's a crossover between the two and actually, able-bodied sport and disability sport can work together.
“Mentors have been very important because you can learn from their experiences and they can learn from you.
“It helps that they will have been in similar situations before and they will understand.”
Allen’s table tennis career is fuelled by Entain – owner of Ladbrokes and Coral – and SportsAid’s partnership that helps him access funding for training, travel and equipment.
And he was joined on the Zoom mentoring session by fellow aspiring athletes Ethan Rose, Heather Hughes, Matthew Mackay and Kirsty Taylor, who are also supported by Entain and SportsAid’s innovative partnership.
Allen has racked up recent international experience in Spain and is well-placed to challenge at Birmingham 2022.
He revelled in absorbing Crates and Fraser’s eminent insight and Crates, who soared to 800m Paralympic glory at Athens 2004, said: "Your whole careers are in front of you and your eyes are wide open to the potential of your futures.
“You don't know what's coming yet or what’s out there for you - you just know what you want, and I just love that."
Former sprinter Fraser, who competed at four Olympic Games and bagged a pair of World Championship bronze medals, added: "It's always a pleasure to share our journey and learnings with the next generation of talent.
“Hopefully all the athletes who joined the call found that fruitful.
"I'm really all for supporting the next generation, encouraging them not to make the same mistakes that I made and supporting them on their journey."
Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, is proud to be championing the next generation of British sporting heroes by providing talented young athletes with financial support and personal development opportunities in partnership with SportsAid. Visit entaingroup.com to find out more
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