Colchester sporting hero Hannah Stodel is chuffed to be one of the first athletes announced for London 2012.
The British Paralympic Association (BPA) has chosen Hannah to represent Britain in the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Her name was among the very first to be officially selected.
Hannah said: “It’s weird in some ways as we never expected to be selected this early and it’s crazy to think that we’re the first athletes to be officially selected for 2012!
“It’s great that the selectors have that much faith in us. We now have to look forward to the next 12 months and carrying on the hard work we’ve been putting in.”
Hannah will compete for the British team in sailing. She will be competing with John Robertson and Stephen Thomas in Sonar (three-person keelboat event).
She added: “We’ll have our new boat ready soon, she’s called Mandeville, so we’ll be spending the autumn and winter getting to grips with her and getting her ready.
“It would be a dream come true to win a medal in London 2012, it’s what we’ve been working towards for so long. We’ve been to two Games before and I don’t want any more free t-shirts, I want a medal this time!”
Hannah has joined the Colchester Sporting Champions scheme, which aims to support local athletes in the run-up to the 2012 Games.
She said: “I am thrilled to be a Sporting Champion for Colchester. My advice for future Paralympians is to never give up trying. I have gained so much from my sport and I am committed to supporting and encouraging young people and people with disabilities to get involved.”