A SPECIAL Olympian who was bullied at school because of his learning disability will be lining up in the London Marathon next month in a bid to change attitudes about impairment.
Jamie Dancyger, 34, was made fun of by children at his school during PE lessons because of the way he ran.
Jamie, who lives in Droitwich and is a member of Bromsgrove and Redditch Athletics Club, said: “I didn’t like the way people in the lessons were.
“They said horrible and nasty things.”
He added it dented his confidence and he did not want to take part,
“It made me feel confident and not want to take part.”
Jamie’s dad John was a learning disabilities nurse and started volunteering at the local Special Olympics group.
He and Jamie’s mum Fran encouraged Jamie to attend the group sessions and try-out when he was 14.
Jamie said the Special Olympics set-up was very different to anything he had experienced before and competing in events was not something he would had ever have contemplated at school.
“I got better because I had more confidence in myself.
“I made some new friends and as the years went on I did more competitions, did more training, won medals and met more people.
“I really enjoyed it.”
He represented his club and region in the 800m, 1,500m, 3,000m and 5,000m and represented Special Olympics GB in the World Games in Athens in 2011 where he picked up two silver medals.
After proving his bullies wrong by becoming a Special Olympic medal winner, Jamie took steps to combat bullying by speaking about his own experiences in secondary schools.
Next month he will be raising funds for learning disability charity Mencap’s ‘game-changing’ new schools programme All Move.
Through organising inclusive sporting events in schools up and down the country, All Move will bring together children with and without learning disabilities to change the attitudes of the next generation.
Jamie added: “I wish I’d had All Move when I was at school. It sounds like a really good programme.
“It would have helped challenge the bullies and helped me feel more confident and included at school.”
Those wanting to sponsor Jamie can click here to visit his fund-raising page.
Anyone else wanting to run the marathon for Mencap should go to mencap.org.uk/event/2020-virgin-money-london-marathon.
*Reports this week suggested the coronavirus outbreak could put the London Marathon under threat.
The organisers are currently monitoring the situation and a decision will be made closer to the event.
