What do you do?
I am a full-time athlete in the sport of wheelchair racing. I race in the T34 classification which is for athletes with CP and other neurological impairments, and compete in the 100m-800m distances.
What has been your greatest achievement?
My greatest achievement was representing Paralympics GB at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 games. Overall, I have won 5 Paralympic medals (three silvers, and two bronzes medals). I view it as my greatest achievement because after watching the London 2012 games, it was my dream to go to a Paralympic games. I didn’t expect to win multiple medals, my goal was simply to get there.
What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?
My biggest challenge over my career so far has been balancing academics with sport. I graduated last year, but before that I had to balance school and university throughout my whole career. It was really difficult at times and it was difficult to maintain motivation. I overcame this through seeking support from those around me for example, support staff within British athletics and at my university.
Who was your role-model growing up?
I didn’t have many disabled role models growing up, and definitely no role models with Cerebral Palsy. However, I was inspired by the paralympians of London 2012 and was excited that disability was being celebrated so publicly for the first time. However, I don’t believe that disability should only be celebrated in the context of sport and when this is the case, this needs to be challenged. These days, I am really inspired by disabled activists such as Anne Wafula Strike, she is very vocal about issues which affect disabled people in the UK and actively promotes change.
What do you think would help more adults with CP achieve their ambitions?
Again, I think support and community is really important for adults with CP. We can encourage each other and help each other through community engagement. But it’s also important that there are support mechanisms in place within the healthcare system as well, and it is sad that this is lacking greatly in the U.K. Such support in terms of healthcare would also help to break barriers that prevent us from achieving our ambitions.