Afghanistan veteran and paracanoeist Curtis McGrath is returning to Australia having earned back-to-back gold, exceeding his own expectations.

McGrath was heading ‘into the great unknown’ at the Tokyo Paralympic Games amid the challenges of the pandemic, hoping to defend his Rio gold.

“We hadn’t competed internationally for two years, so unsure on the form of other … athletes,” he told Jim Wilson.

“We were lucky in Australia, we were allowed to go out and train, and …  put our best foot forward.”

The paracanoeist will “take a breather” from competing next year, but confirmed his intention to quality for the Paris 2024 Games.

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