Vincent Donnadieu’s Helping Hand

28 September 2021

Vincent Donnadieu’s Helping Hand

Behind all athletes there is a support team, but for visually impaired athletes an additional key crew member is the guide. Vincent Donnadieu, guide to Tokyo Paralympic marathon medallist Jaryd Clifford, provided an insight into their role, along with the trust and bond between the athlete and the guide.

Anzac Day 2021 the athletics trajectory changed for former Sydney athlete and now Canberra Vet, Vincent Donnadieu. On that day his training partner Jaryd Clifford broke through with a stunning marathon time of 2:19.08.

“I train with Jaryd under coach Philo Saunders, so I was initially put down as a reserve guide following Jaryd’s accidental qualification in the marathon,” recalled Donnadieu.

“The guides listed were Tim Logan, who was on the return to his pre-injury fitness levels and Matthew Clarke still vying for a spot on the Olympic team.”

Suddenly in early July with Matthew Clarke’s very late call up to the Olympic team, Donnadieu received the call - but it would not be a smooth journey to Tokyo.

“My preparation in the lead up to Tokyo was definitely less than ideal,” said Donnadieu.

“After the conclusion of the previous track season, focus in training shifted to rebuilding my aerobic base through longer interval sessions. My fitness was in a great place around the time I was selected as a guide, and I was on track to head up to Cairns for the pre-departure and acclimatisation camp.

“Shortly prior to my departure, I developed serious fever symptoms and was bedbound for a week. A small patch of pneumonia was discovered on an x-ray of my lungs. Thankfully, I made a swift recovery once on medication, and was soon back to running.”

The next hurdle for Donnadieu was when COVID crept into Canberra.

“I was flown up to Cairns prematurely, in order to avoid ACT’s snap lockdown. While I waited on negative COVID test results, I was allowed to train by myself but started developing achilles paratenonitis in my left foot.”

His preparation would now need to be closely managed by the experienced medical staff.

“My time in Cairns from that point was then spent needing to prove that I was still going to be able to be reliable as a guide. The medical team assured me that the condition was unlikely to lead to any serious injury, and my training plan going forward was to only run every second day to help minimise pain. I focused on getting my sessions done in the heat of the day and supplemented training with pool running on alternate days. I also incorporated heat spas into lighter days to speed up acclimation ahead of what looked to be brutal conditions in Tokyo.”

Donnadieu made it to the start line alongside Jaryd Clifford and guided him to the half-marathon point, then the second guide, Tim Logan brought it home as Clifford claimed a magnificent Paralympic silver medal.

The role of the guide is much more than just keeping them running in the right direction as Donnadieu outlined.

“Fundamentally, our role as guides is to relay as much visual information as possible, which is a surprisingly involved process. Jaryd’s vision worsens as he fatigues and the more we can convey to him, the more he can focus on running.

“The most crucial thing I needed to communicate in the marathon was counting Jaryd into corners and drink stations so that he could stay hydrated. We also talked about what pace we were running at and the positions of other athletes in the field. Running the shortest line and avoiding smaller ground obstacles like manhole covers can often be done by adjusting tether tension to direct Jaryd.”

Many would have witnessed on the Channel 7 coverage the challenging change of guides from Donnadieu to Logan in Tokyo. Clifford was still running in a pack and Donnadieu himself had competitors all around him.
“The guide change over with Tim was tricky given that we were in a pack situation – I had to make sure I had my exit strategy before letting go of the tether to ensure I didn’t impede any of the other visually impaired athletes.”

For Donnadieu the opportunity to help Clifford was very rewarding and built a special connection.

“Being a Paralympic guide and representing Australia for the first time was truly special to me. I’m honoured that Jaryd placed his trust in me in spite of my problematic preparation, but I think that’s just a testament to the strong bond shared by an athlete and their guides. I firmly believe that a large part of our success in such short time lies in the friendship we share.”

Away from the track, Vincent Donnadieu, formerly from Sydney, is a full-time veterinarian in Canberra.

“I work as a small animal general practitioner but also have a special interest in avian and amphibian patients.”

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image: Jaryd Clifford and guide Vincent Donnadieu (in orange) in the early stages of the Tokyo Paralympic Marathon