Sally Brown discusses exams, selection nerves, medals and her hopes for the future with Sky Sports.
Teenage Paralympian determined to make the most of big chance
At the tender age of just 16, Sally Brown is readying herself for an action-packed summer that will see her carry the hopes of a nation on her young shoulders.
Expected to be named in Team GB for the 2012 Paralympics, the Ballykelly schoolgirl is readying herself to grace the biggest stage in sport.
Brown has plenty on her plate before she goes for gold in London, though, with demands away from the track currently dominating her thoughts.
She is in the process of trying to juggle her academic studies with her athletic training and was among the lucky few chosen to form part of the Olympic torch relay.
Unsurprisingly, Brown admits her life is a little chaotic right now - but she would not have it any other way, as selection day for the Paralympics looms.
Amazing
She told
Sky Sports: "I'm getting a bit nervous. I'm preparing and trying to get the times for qualification. I have got the 'A' standard for all of the events I want to do, but I'm still having to show form. It is nerve-wracking, but I'm really excited as well.
"It's definitely going to be an amazing experience. It's my first one and it's going to be so special. It's probably not going to happen again in my lifetime, so it's a great opportunity.
"I'm training six nights a week. I'm still at school and I have got exams this week, I'm doing my AS Levels. School isn't getting in the way, it's taken a bit of a back seat at the moment though. It's not getting in the way but I probably should be concentrating on it a bit more than I am!"
Brown was only nine years old when the Games were awarded to London and she admits her possible participation in the event only dawned on her once she proved she could compete with the best in the business at the 2011 International Paralympic Committee World Athletics Championships.
She said: "I have been running for ages but I have only been doing the Paralympic stuff for about three years. Even then, I knew I was only going to be 16 and it wasn't really on the radar at all. But when I went to New Zealand and got the bronze medal in the World Championships (in the 200m), I realised that I possibly could get to London and it's been getting closer and closer. I now realise that I have a chance of doing quite well at the Games."
On her ambitions for the Paralympics, Brown added: "I got the bronze in New Zealand and I will be going for a medal. I'm training for a medal. I don't think I am quite ready for a gold. I'm only 16 and I would say that if I am ever going to be ready for a gold it would probably be 2016, when I'm at my peak fitness. I'm obviously going into it wanting to win and whatever happens on the day, I will be happy."
Mainstream
Brown is pleased with how her preparations for London are going, but admits she is also working towards bigger, long-term goals - such as following the lead of South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius and competing alongside able-bodied athletes in top events.
She said: "Yeah, definitely. I have been competing in mainstream events my whole life at local level. I have always been one of the top competitors in Northern Ireland so that's definitely something I want to keep going. If I am fast enough, possibly I could cross over into the able-body stuff as well. That's definitely a major goal and hopefully I will get to do it. We'll have to wait and see."
For now, though, her focus is locked on the 2012 Paralympics and helping Team GB to fulfil their potential and secure an enviable collection of medals.
Brown said: "If we do what we did, or even near what we did, in the World Championships, everyone is going to be really happy. Everybody is going in there wanting to do really well and not let anybody down. Everybody is training really hard at the moment and is really focused. I think we'll do really well."
JKC Coleraine is proud to support Sally on her journey to London 2012. The Golden BMW convoy is currently touring the UK. For your chance to be part of the London 2012 Games, Simply Spot the car, Snap a picture and Share it via twitter (@GoldenBMW), facebook, email or the BMW website (www.bmw.co.uk/gold) to win London 2012 tickets.
