ESBE SPONSORS FUTURE PARALYMPIAN, RICKARD NILSSON
2023-04-18
ESBE has been supporting the Swedish Parasport Federation for many years, both nationally and regionally in Småland, via newspaper ads.
When we heard about Rickard, we were really impressed by his fighting spirit and belief in himself. Rickard Nilsson, from Värnamo, was born with Klippel-Feil Syndrome and Sprengel Deformity, the symptoms of which include shoulder and neck vertebrae asymmetry, and severe scoliosis. Rickard had surgery when he was very young so he would gain use of his arms, and he then trained his strength and mobility to achieve relatively normal levels. His scoliosis declined however, and when he was 15, he underwent arthrodesis of the spine to stem the growth of the scoliosis.
“I have had to struggle on despite the many and severe setbacks, and I think that’s why I’ve come so far,” Rickard explains.
His fighting spirit has made him one of the best para-badminton players in the world!
“I basically grew up in a badminton hall. All of my family are involved in sports. I think I was 5 years old the first time I went to training. It’s a sport that has given me, and still gives me, so much. To begin with, I played with/against non-disabled players. I didn’t start playing para-badminton until I was 14. It was a huge change and gave me an immediate taste for more,” he continues.
Para-badminton is still quite small in Sweden, but it’s big globally. During the ten years that Rickard has competed in international tournaments, he’s been the only Swedish player, but now more players are joining him. Rickard and his team look forward to following their growth. Two of these players have competed this last season, with one of them doing so at Rickard’s level.
Rickard still lives in Värnamo, but Varbergs Badmintonklubb is his home club. This is because there are no badminton clubs that enter tournaments in Värnamo.
“I compete against non-disabled players at various tournaments around Sweden as often as I can. As long as it doesn’t get in the way of my preparation for an important para tournament of course,” says Rickard.
Badminton, badminton, badminton!
Rickard tells us that his days can be spent playing some golf, reading a book, playing the guitar, or relaxing with his family. But when you just love badminton, your mum is your coach (as well as coach for the Swedish national federation), and your brother is a former elite badminton player, most of his time is of course spent on – badminton!
“We train badminton about five days a week, sometimes sparring with my older brother, Kevin. I train in the gym two or three times a week and do prehab/rehab basically every day. I need to avoid unnecessary injuries, you see. But it’s also so as not to worsen my disabilities. On the weekends we travel around Sweden to get some match sparring in and test what we’ve been training for,” he tells us.
Rickard’s training schedule varies, and it’s his body that determines what he’ll do, as his disabilities dictate his day’s form. Some days it’s fine to go at it with full intensity, and other days the focus needs to be on rest and rehab.
“All in all I train many hours a week, with varying levels of intensity, which takes its toll on my body of course. But I love badminton, so it’s worth it!” Rickard explains.
Rickard hopes that his badminton career goes on as long as possible. When he hangs up his match shirt, he hopes to be able to continue playing badminton in one form or another. Maybe as a coach.
Hard to make ends meet
Rickard has just had a week of recovery after two weeks of competing in Spain. Sadly, he has to miss a tournament in Brazil because it’s too costly. But hopefully his training trip to Thailand will be a success.
The greatest challenge Rickard faces in achieving his goal of qualifying for the Paris 2024 Paralympics is finding sponsors. He’s very grateful for the ones he has, including ESBE. Travelling and competing is expensive. But the trips and the tournaments are necessary to get enough ranking points in 2023 and early 2024.
If you want to support Rickard, he has a GoFundMe fundraising page where anyone can sponsor him with both small or large amounts.
https://gofund.me/ea1d7811
ESBE follows Rickard’s journey to the 2024 Paralympics in Paris with interest. He has so far won European bronze in 2014 and Swedish nationals’ silver in 2018. At the time of writing, Rickard is ranked 6th in the Para-badminton world rankings.
You live and learn
What did you know about ESBE before we contacted you?
“Not a lot! But I’ve been reading about you and now know that you work with heating systems and sell valves and controllers. And that it’s a much larger company than I initially thought!” he tells us.
Rickard rounds off with some wise words about himself:
“It’s important for me as a private individual, but also as an athlete, to be a better version of myself every day, in any way whatsoever. I always want to do my best, in both good times and bad.”
Rickard’s positive outlook, his cool attitude towards his disabilities, and his ability to take on the challenges he faces are inspirational. ESBE is a proud sponsor of Rickard, and we wish him continued luck towards achieving his goal of becoming the best in the world!
Related articles:
Rickard’s Facebook »
Swedish parasport federation»
ESBE and societal responsibility »
Paralympic badminton »
