ATHLETICS
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
REPRESENTING Australia at any age is remarkable, but 13-year-old Wagga athlete Carly Salmon has landed the incredible achievement despite suffering the debilitating condition of cerebral palsy.
Qualifying against athletes upwards of twice her age, the gifted Mater Dei Catholic College sprinter has been swept into the Australian athletics team to take on the IPC World Championships in France next month.
Earmarking a shot at the Rio Paralympics in 2016, Carly will be the latest Riverina star to storm the world stage at the championships in Lyon with a team that includes Temora Paralympian, and silver medallist, Scott Reardon.
Although she has restricted movement down the left side of her body, Carly has never used her disability as an excuse not to challenge herself and lead an active lifestyle.
Clearly proud, Carly's father Kevin said he and his wife Cathy would be heading to France to support her when she competes next month.
"We're just a little bit proud," he joked as he spoke to The Daily Advertiser yesterday.
A naturally gifted athlete, Carly qualified for the 100m and 200m event at the Australian championships in April and will join a team of 40 athletes with disabilities in Lyon at the end of July.
"Kids get classified every two years by a governing body of physiotherapists, and she was reclassified by the international body in Brisbane which means she is now able to compete in global meets," Kevin explained.
"A lot of people have asked if it's youth games or an under 16s championships, but the world record holder in her event is a 28-year-old girl from Canberra.
"Scott Reardon is heading over there as well. He's certainly a role model for people with disabilities."
At such a young age, Kevin and Cathy are wary of putting too much pressure on Carly considering the amount of effort she goes through to stay mobile.
"I think we've got to be careful Rio would be sensational, but without trying to put too much pressure on her at such a young age," he said.
"A lot of effort goes into her recovery in between races and things. It's very different to an able-bodied athlete.
"Her coach at the AIS, Brett Robinson, her athletics coach in Wagga, Rosemary Clarke, and her physiotherapist Paul Heffernan work with her a fair bit and go through a lot of stuff to keep her mobile.
The Australian team leaves for a training camp in Switzerland a week before the world championships in Lyon, which will run from July 19-28.