REDCAR'S Terry Bywater will delay retirement plans in a bid to turn four Paralympic bronzes into a gold in Paris.

Bywater believes his latest medal means just that little bit more after Great Britain rebounded to claim a spot on the men's wheelchair basketball podium.

The team arrived in Tokyo with high expectations after winning the last World Championships, only to learn influential head coach Haj Bhania wouldn't be travelling after testing positive for coronavirus, Gaz Choudhry stepping up to take on the player-coach role.

After the disappointment of a semi-final defeat to hosts Japan, Great Britain overcame Spain in the bronze medal contest to claim the final spot on the podium with a 68-58 victory at the Ariake Arena.

And Choudhry not only picked the team and called the tactics, but also top-scored with 19 points, aided by close friend and five-time Games veteran Bywater with 14 points.

"We didn't come here to win bronze, we came to make the final but if people knew what we'd been through I think they may understand," he said.

"Losing your head coach just a few days before we arrived was just crazy. It felt a constant uphill battle and this means a lot more than a bronze.

"Gaz knows basketball, he lives and dies for it. He's been playing a long time and he's got so much respect from all of us. What a job he did, he's a legend.

"I've been on a losing semi-final team five times, that hurt. I didn't shed a tear and I wasn't angry, this was just a massive game to focus on and we're here again with a Paralympic medal.

"I've seen my wife and son for a week in just four months but I knew they were with me. This wasn't about us, it's about those at home."

But Bywater acknowledges there is work to do, with just 1,088 days and counting to the start of the next Games in Paris.

"I thought this would be my last Paralympics but it's only three years to Paris, my heart is set now," he added. "I want to go out on a high and just play in a Paralympic final, that's still my greatest dream."

Choudhry deflected praise from his team-mates and hailed the collective spirit of the group, many of whom have spent months away from their friends and family to keep the squad as safe as possible during the pandemic.

The next start is a defence of their world title in Dubai before focus switches to Paris 2024.

“All we’ve done with this medal is validate this team to the outside but for us internally, we were validated already," he said.

“This team deserves a gold. This group absolutely deserves a gold. There are some guys that aren’t here that are at home.

"When they come back into the team, we are absolutely adamant we want a gold before it’s all said and done, and Paris is what we’re going for.

“Terry and me have been on a journey, we've known each other since we were kids and I don't think the story is over yet."

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