Lancashire’s disability swimmer Stephanie Slater won gold on the opening day of finals at the British International Meet in Manchester.
The 23-year old, who had hoped of competing in able-bodied events at Delhi four years ago before nerve damage dashed her dreams, raced home at the Manchester Aquatics Centre after claiming a winning points total of 879 in the women’s MC 100m-Freestyle final.
The victory is a terrific achievement for Slater who was recently diagnosed with dystonia, which leads to muscle spasms and fatigue.
“I’ve not been able to train as much as usual but I’m dropping a few of my events and managing it,” said Slater, who is using the event as preparation for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next month.
Due to today’s race being a multi-classification contest, meaning swimmers compete against other swimmers regardless of their classification, race times were irrelevant and only the competitor with the most points matters.
Main image courtesy of Paralympic Games via YouTube, with thanks.
