Becca has hopes of Paralympic honours

Aug 28 2008 by Mari Jones, North Wales Weekly News

THE youngest Paralympian in the Welsh team has flown out to China with high hopes of winning a medal following record-breaking performances at the Disability Sports Events Junior Athletics Championships.

Sixteen-year-old Becca Chin from Deganwy flew to Hong Kong on Sunday, to join the British team’s holding base in Macau.

The Ysgol Aberconwy pupil, who last week celebrated successful GCSE results, will be taking part in the shot and discus events at the Games, which start on September 6.

She has just returned from the DSE Junior Athletics Championships in Blackpool with the Outstanding Performance Award, achieved for her record-breaking performance in the event, where she set national junior records.

Welsh Sports Academy manager Gerwyn Owen said: “The Blackpool championships are very important for our athletes as it’s a culmination of the previous year’s training and competition programme.

“To have Becca gain the Outstanding Performance award is a tribute to not just her work but the whole team’s. She really showed the class she has.”

Becca, who will be competing in the now world famous Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing, said: “I can’t wait to get to the holding camp in Macau as the Games are going to be such a great experience.

“I’ve been training in Cardiff over the last few weeks and have learnt a new technique which has been going well.

“Hopefully I can control my nerves and perform to the best of my ability. My aim for Beijing is to give it my all and my target is to achieve personal bests. I aim to use the experience of the shot putt as preparation for the discus which is my strongest event.

“I never imagined I would be going to the Beijing games as London 2012 was my target, so this is hopefully the starting block of my career.”

She added: “I’d like to say a huge thanks to the local businesses who have supported me as well as Llandudno Town Council, Llandudno Tourist Information Centre and the Reg Boase Sports Trust Fund for their donations.”

Her proud mum Luci Wakeham said: “I’m literally bursting with pride at the moment

“She achieved two A*s, six A grades and three Bs in her GCSEs which is fantastic as during this period she was also training very hard, literally studying by the athletic track! I dropped her off at Manchester Airport on Sunday and she was treated like a superstar..”