There’s no holding Lucy back on path to Paralympics

(posted 24.11.09)

Nothing can hold Lucy Larsen back when it comes to her passion for athletics as she aims for a spot at the London Paralympic Games in 2012.

The 15-year-old sprinter last week triumphed in the 100m and 200m events in the State Secondary School Athletics Championships, in which she runs with Australians with Disabilities.

As well as her success in school athletics, Lucy also sprinted her way into the Australian Youth Paralympics Games in Melbourne last month, where she placed fifth and seventh and was captain of the under-20 squad.

“I crossed the line second in both of my races, but there’s a system of classification,” Lucy said.

Lucy’s dream of some day winning a medal at the Paralympics draws closer with her placement in the Athletics Australia’s Paralympic Preparation Program as an emerging talent.

A special group for gifted disabled athletes, the program aims to nurture talent in preparation for the World Athletics Championships in Christchurch in 2011 and the Paralympics.

THE AAPPET runs camps during the year, where the athletes train and improve their skills for major competitions.

“I’m going to the AIS in December for a camp down there … it’s just basically training and they give you lots of tips on your techniques and things to take home that you can work on,” she said.

“It’s all really interesting.”

Lucy, who was born without the radius, the bone of the forearm from elbow to wrist, has had to overcome obstacles such as balance issues when she races. She recently began using a weighted arm strap to even out her stride.

“It’s supposed to get my arms more even and more balanced,” she said. “I tend to cross over a lot with my run … that has worked well so far.

“States was the first competition I used it at, and it seemed to work really well.”

Even with all her fantastic achievements, Lucy’s down-to-earth nature and positive attitude towards competing has helped her improve, and take her goals step by step.

“If you don’t do as well, you kind of strive to do better next time to get your personal best,” Lucy said. “It makes you want to keep on going, keep getting better.”

With an intense training and gym schedule, and her commitments to school, the Paralympic Program and other sports such as touch football, the busy student aims to stay organized to reach her dream.

“You have to schedule a lot and make sure you’re down pat with your school work,” Lucy said.

“I quite enjoy training though … the whole training squad gets along really well.”

As the school year draws to a close, Lucy will go into training for major events such as the Underage Nationals in Sydney in January and Open National Championships in Perth in March.

- story by Laura Nolan, Sunshine Coast Daily Junior Sport (04.11.09)

Lucy is a recipient of a 2010 Co-Curricular Scholarship at Matthew Flinders Anglican College.

Back to News and Events