Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine factors associated with competitive stress as experienced by a visually impaired elite athlete at the highest level of professional sports competition. Five-time Paralympic medalist Jason Dunkerley participated in two in-depth interviews providing a rich personal account of his most recent and vivid experience of competing in the Rio 2016 Paralympics. An interpretative phenomenological approach was employed as an analytical lens to gain a deeper understanding of how stress can affect the para-athlete’s competitive performance and his response capacity to cope with stressful demands. Results show that Paralympians face pressure prior to competitive events, during and post competition associated with preparation, competitive performance, and organizational stress. Strategies to control performance and non-performance pressures included self-care, the use of mental skills, minimizing periods of inactivity before competitive performance, and social support.