Double Paralympic medalist Ben Rushgrove admits standards are getting better at home and abroad – but the Bath sprinter is welcoming the competition.
The 26-year-old is starting the countdown to his third Paralympic Games, having won T36 100m silver in Beijing and 200m bronze in London.
However, he finished outside the medals when Swansea staged the IPC European Athletics Championships last week.
But while disappointed with his personal performance, Rushgrove believes both he and the Paralympic movement are in good shape as Rio 2016 comes into sight.
"It's only a positive thing that medals are becoming harder to get," said Rushgrove, who was one of four motivational speakers at the ParalympicsGB Potentials Camp at the University of Bath last weekend.
"You could see that in Swansea last week, when you look at the times people were running and in not very good conditions.
"People are really pushing the limits, the races are getting closer and it's getting more exciting for people to watch.
"Ultimately sport is about entertainment, so if we can get a really competitive vibe going then that's really great for Paralympic sport.
"Swansea marked a new start for European disability competition. Previous championships were watched by one man and his dog, with most of the stands taken up with other athletes.
"In Swansea there were genuine supporters who, in some cases, had travelled a long way to watch and the home straight was a sell-out, which was amazing.
"Personally speaking, I was a bit surprised by my result. I was expecting it to be better and I was expecting to win a medal.
"My coach [Rob Ellchuk] summed it up by saying we were all very close and we don't have to do that much work to get on the podium, which is always a positive thing, but there is that voice in the back of your head thinking 'what if?'.
"If I'd come away from Swansea with a personal best but no medal I would have been quite happy.
"Instead I came away with one of the slowest times of the year – in adverse conditions to be fair.
"I have a drive and a desire to be better all the time, not compared to other people but against myself. I'm OK in terms of fitness and I'm sure that improvement will come."
