Table 1.

Summary of themes and examples of raw data extracts for MT conceptualization in Paralympians.

Mental Toughness	Number of participants	Selected quotes from participants
Characteristics
Determination	10	“… it’s just like, what do you mean limited, were doing this OK… They are almost offended to the point where they are like; of course I can do it.”
Defiance	9	“I just phone the consultant and say this is broken… in and out…if they can’t, then I will not have the surgery, I’ll just continue… it doesn’t really bother me.”
Pragmatic	10	“As disabled athletes we do not see it as being harder…if you are in a chair or a limb missing then obviously… there are more obstacles.”
Optimistic	9	“I mean that willingness to overcome that mass of adversity that they have suffered and just take the opportunities that have come”
Resilient	9	“…I can think of three or four guys that have been broken by the classification system.”
Self-belief	10	“…we would not say that we are superhuman, we do not want to be symbolized as being special, the whole idea of doing sport as Para-athletes is that you want to be the same level as Olympic athletes”
Independence and autonomy	10	“…when I am in the chair, I am the best in the world… so for me it is freedom and independence and it is something I do not need help doing.”
Cognitions
Normalization	10	“…because they do not want to be defined by what happened … they just want to be like everybody else and do not want to be that horrible story.”
Sense of escape	9	“…so it is probably one of the only times where I don’t feel disabled because I feel like I am just an athlete playing a sport that I love”
Non-acceptance of constraints	8	“…I will find a way around it, Paralympic sport is rife for it, you can’t be lifting that leg…you can’t be doing this because of your classification…”
Influence perception	9	“…people still think ‘Arrrr, they are having a go’… I’m thinking, ’no’, Paralympics’ isn’t inspiration, it’s trying to prove disability isn’t a bad thing’
Connection	10	“…I wanted to represent GB. I knew that from the very early stage and that helped me with my injuries my focus and my rehabilitation.”
Cognitive strategies
Rational thinking	10	“…sport is a fairly simple thing, sport is not life or death… so breaking your back or losing a leg, sport will never be difficult in that context.”
Goal setting	10	“I think it is about dealing with failure, dealing with setbacks, setting goals and not being happy…and thinking they’ve made it”
Pain management	10	“…have the ability to overcome pain and you can remove those thoughts of pain at the right point when the pressure is all on you.”
Control	10	“…so when you get that higher level of anxiety… being pushed by adversity over and over again, it’s a way of bringing it back to real life”