Bio
How I Started
I took part in the school sports club once a week and began competing in junior regional events and competitions. One of the coaches at the club was a Paralympian at the time which inspired me to continue pushing as they were a huge inspiration for me. The junior championships in Blackpool were a crucial moment for me as I won 6 gold medals in Club Throw, discus and the likes! At that point, I was 14 years old, but I had to stop competing in junior championships as I was winning too much!
My Greatest Achievement
My greatest achievement is when I became a three-time Paralympic champion. It was a special Paralympics as I was returning to the event for the third time, but I knew I wanted to take home the title again. I ended up breaking my own world record when I competing as I raised the bar by another 5cm’s as I threw a 33.53m to take not only the world record but another Paralympic gold! It was a highlight as I had been competing for a decade to earn my accolades and then I had also broken my own world record, and around that time the Paralympics were getting more media coverage so it was awesome to see the buzz around a sport I have loved for years!
My Greatest Challenge
In the run-up to the London 2012 Paralympics, I battled a nasty hip injury as the cartilage had been worn down meaning I had to suffer with limited mobility and lots of pain. I was offered a hip replacement but there wasn’t a 100% chance of success and with the Paralympics coming to London I knew I had to compete. In the end, I managed to compete as team captain but was unable to medal due to the injury, which was difficult to take as it was my home games.
My Hobbies
In my free time, I love watching sports, especially going to Newcastle matches as I have been attending since I was four years old and own a season ticket! Other than that I enjoy inspiring the next generation to be the best version of themselves, along with sports coaching and spending days out with my family.
My Future goals
In the future, I want to continue to be a good role model for young people along with ensuring I continue training and keeping fit. I also have my own charity that supplies sports equipment and inspires young people so I am also determined to grow this to have as great of an impact as possible!