Paralympics the goal for Worthing racer Lizzie

Lizzie Williams, who is a wheelchair racer, was born with Osteogenesis Imperfects, a hereditary condition passed down by her grandfather to her mother and twin sister.

She has suffered more than 60 fractures and has needed more than 30 operations, which has resulted in metal rods being installed in both of her legs and metal pins in her spine.

Originally a swimmer, Williams had trained from a young age as the lack of pressure in the water meant she did not have to worry about fracturing her bones.

Before long she was a national swimmer, training with the Paralympic team, but a broken back ruined her prospects as she had to endure three-and-a-half months in rehab while learning to walk again.

Despite this set-back, Williams has re-trained and was recently classified as a T54 British wheelchair cyclist racer.

Speaking on her hopes of reaching this year’s Paralympics, she said: “This national classification enables me to compete in Paralympic stream competitions, have a ranking and an online profile where every competition I do will be automatically recorded on the Power of 10, the United Kingdom athletics ranking system.

“This is a vital step for me as from here I am now focusing on training hard for this winter season to smash my personal best in the new season, as I will now be able to race in higher level competitions.”

In four months she has raised in excess of £1,870, while her GoFundMe page, which went online last month, has raised more than £100.

Her fund-raising is in order to gain financial support for her journey, as it is proving expensive to travel to training and competitions, as well as paying the entry fees for competitions. She would also like to buy a set of rollers which will enable her to train in a racing chair when the track is not safe.

Wiliams added: “I’m still hopeful of booking a place in Rio. The new season is just starting and I had my first race in Worthing last week.

“I just want to perform and then, hopefully, I will get that call to compete for Great Britiain.

“I want people to say Lizzie Williams is an incredible sportsperson, she’s one to watch at the Paralympics.”

To help fund Williams’ Paralympic dream, her GoFundMe page can be found at www.gofundme.com/lizziewilliams

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