‘I’ve never experienced anything like it in my life’ is how Luke Pollard described the crowds at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. They spurred him and Dave Ellis to win para triathlete gold in the summer as England celebrated an incredible home games. On the RAF’s elite athlete scheme, Luke has enjoyed plenty of success with Dave since they paired up together in 2019, but last year they suffered heartbreak at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo when the chain on their bike broke and they couldn’t finish the race. The Commonwealth Games gold has gone some way to making up for that but the pair, England and GB’s best, are determined to come back even stronger for Paris 2024. Luke talks to Forces Sport about the highs and the lows, the challenges and the triumphs, and the addictive nature of elite sport.