The Australian vision-impaired long-distance runner does not hide away from the fact his campaign did not go to plan.
But little old Dunedin has played its part in helping the world-class athlete feel a little more himself again.
Clifford, who has been based in Dunedin since Christmas with partner and Otago Paralympian Anna Grimaldi, was disqualified from the men’s T13 5000m in Paris after he dropped the tether linking him to guide Matt Clarke as they crossed the finish line.
It was a race that would have landed him on the podium and heading home with a bronze medal.
Days later, Clifford — who had been hampered by injuries in the lead-up to Paris — finished fourth in the men’s 1500m, an agonising 0.01sec off securing bronze.
It was a stark contrast from Grimaldi’s Paralympics, where she won gold in the 200m and bronze in the 100m, and finished fourth in the long jump.
"I had a pretty grim Paralympic Games, pretty much the complete opposite to Anna," Clifford told the Otago Daily Times.
"It was pretty tough, I guess, building back after that."
Together, they navigated the highs and lows of their campaigns, setting out on a two-month holiday around Europe and dissecting their fortunes as best they could.
"I landed on the fact that I thought it would be a lot more positive for me to spend the summer in New Zealand, find my feet again in a new environment, with a new group around me.
"I had a tough year last year, but it does genuinely feel like I’m really taking those first steps towards being ready for LA and being in a much better head space, a healthy body ... I’ve trained the longest I’ve ever trained in a row without getting an injury for four years.
"Dunedin’s probably helped me get back on track."
Having a sounding board in Grimaldi, who fundamentally understood what he went through as a para athlete, was something Clifford never took for granted.
Grimaldi’s preparation and eye for detail and her ability to prioritise in the lead-up to pinnacle events made Clifford a better athlete, he said.
"It’s probably made me take a look at my own sport, and how I approach sport, and kind of realise that I probably wasn’t doing enough to be the best athlete I could be.
"To be honest, at first that was maybe something hard for me to kind of comprehend.
"I was in close proximity to someone that, I thought, was a much more professional athlete than me.
"It’s been good kind of having someone when you’re on this rollercoaster ride.
"You have the highs, but it’s really great having someone that when you’re in the lows, they get it. They’ve been there themselves."
Dunedin has been a nice adopted home for Clifford over the past three months.
He has been out pounding the pavements along Portobello Rd and John Wilson Ocean Dr, and linked up with Otago runner Oli Chignell — the two have known each other for years — for a few training sessions.
"The running in Dunedin’s pretty epic with the harbour and the beaches," Clifford said.
Clifford, 25, has been a regular on the national summer athletics circuit as well, finishing third in the men’s 1500m and New Zealand mile at the Cooks Classic in January.
He came close to being the first para athlete to go under the 4min mark in the national mile with a time of 4min 0.45sec.
The long-distance running community in New Zealand had been "really positive", with the whole field warming up and down together in Whanganui.
"Obviously, then when the race started we were trying to beat each other, but I really love that environment, that community.
"I got towelled up by Sam Ruthe, the 15-year-old, so that was a reality check.
"First time I felt old on an athletics track," he chuckled.
He found racing in New Zealand a similar level to his classification at the Paralympics and got more value from racing the summer circuit than back in Australia.
"I’ve found the competition quite valuable in kind of preparing me for the world championships.
"I’ll keep coming back in the leadup to the LA Paralympics."
He was grateful to have been welcomed by High Performance Sport New Zealand, and the Otago athletics community, and felt like he was "racing on a home track" at the national championships in Dunedin recently.
But there is no hiding Clifford wants more from the sport, having been crowned a double world champion in the 1500m and 5000m in 2019 and winning double silver in the marathon and 5000m, and bronze in the 1500m, in Tokyo.
He is in it for the "long haul" and already has signalled his intentions for LA in 2028.
"I was just saying I’ve got to complete my narrative arc — haven’t got that gold yet, but I’ve been bloody close.
"Brisbane’s hosting in 2032 too, so I won’t miss that."
Clifford heads to the United States in May to train at altitude in Flagstaff before returning to Dunedin for the winter.
"I’ve heard it’s pretty cold in July. I don’t think I know what I’m in for yet."
Back home, he will be based in Canberra with his coach before the world para athletics championships in New Dehli in September.
