After Columba Blango finished his first season as an international athlete with a Paralympic bronze medal and a European gold, he could be forgiven for thinking his life had changed completely.
But Columba, who is resting at his East Dulwich home after getting back from Tokyo last week, said he is going back to work at Primark in Peckham once his quarantine period is over.
“Nothing has changed, I’m still my humble self,” he told the News. “I’m not someone who changes. I’m always humble, I’m always grounded. Change [like winning medals] doesn’t affect me.”
Columba puts his humility down to continuous “spiritual growth”. He is a member of the congregation at Mustard Seed International Church in Nunhead.
“I usually use my Christian faith to keep me grounded. I grew up in a Christian household, the number one household rule is to be humble. Be the person you are because that will allow you to express yourself in full.”
Speaking earlier this year, Columba said his colleagues initially were not very aware of his athletics prowess. But now they are “really happy”.
“They are delighted with what I’ve achieved, with as far as I’ve taken my journey,” he said. “They’ve seen me grow. They’re really happy with how far I come.”
A spokesperson for Primark said: ““Columba has been part of the Primark family for over five years and we are so proud of his success at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. This is such an extraordinary achievement and all our colleagues at Primark Peckham are excited to welcome him back.”
Columba, 29, came third in last Tuesday’s 400 metres race with a personal best of 47.81 seconds. This year was his first Paralympics. He was competing in the T20 category, for people with intellectual impairments.
Columba was in intensive care for about four weeks after being born, after suffering blood clots on his brain due to a difficult birth. He was left with speech and cognitive problems, and was unable to speak until the age of six.
He finished last week just a tenth of a second behind Luis Felipe Rodriguez Bolivar in second place. First place went to the Frenchman Charles-Antoine Kouakou, who crossed the line with a time of 47.63 seconds.
Columba described the result as a “relief”. “I was happy with the result,” he added.
“It’s a start. It was my first year of internationals. I’ll take it a step at a time. You don’t know how things are going to happen, you have to take it in stages.”
He could be seen lying flat on his back after the race, leading some onlookers to speculate that he might be disappointed with a bronze, after winning the European Championships two months earlier.
“I think it was the fact that I was really tired, and my work was done,” he said. “I achieved what I wanted for the season.”
As well as working in Primark, Columba said there is much more to come in his international athletics career. The main landmark on the horizon is next year’s world championships in Japan.
“That will be the main thing to focus on,” he said. “You’ve got to take it in stages, don’t rush the process. Medalling is one thing, maintaining the standards you’ve set for yourself over a long period is even harder.
“I’ve always said to myself that it’s not about winning, it’s how you play the game. You have to be happy with what you’ve done, as long as you’ve done your best.
“To come out with two international medals in your first season is something to be proud of.”