Sabrina Fortune

Started: She took up discus at age 11. She began focusing on shot put in 2014. (bbc.co.uk, 02 Dec 2019; dailypost.co.uk, 13 Sep 2012) Reason: She watched her brother compete and decided she wanted to try athletics herself. She began representing her school and was then asked to join her local club. "I started playing sport because we travelled around the UK with my brother and I thought, 'Why does he get to throw and I don't?' I enjoy the challenge and buzz of competitions." (dcdesignprint.co.uk, 19 Mar 2020; sportsaid.org.uk, 03 Aug 2015) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (welshathletics.org, 12 Jul 2023) Awards: She was named the 2012 Flintshire Athlete of the Year and the 2012 Wrexham Athletics Female Para Sport Personality of the Year in Wales. (specialolympicswales.co.uk, 01 May 2013) Additional Info: ADAPTING TO HEAT She won world titles in the F20 shot put in 2019 and 2023, but was only able to finish fifth in the event at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. She believes that the heat and humidity in Japan was part of the reason she did not finish on the podium. "It has been hell since Tokyo to get back, but no matter how hard it gets, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel and this gold medal [at the 2023 World Championships in Paris] is special. I struggle in hot conditions but we have worked hard and done it correctly this year [in 2023]. Even though it has been hot out here, I have an ice towel and an ice vest [so I have] been able to cool down and relax and that worked." (bbc.co.uk, 11 Jul 2023) FUTURE PLANS She aspires to work in art after her sporting career. "I do animation and art on Blender 3D software, and I've learnt coding for website design. I'd love to be able to go into a job in animation, to do TV shows, movies, game design. That's what I want to do. I wanted to go to university, but with my sport, how long it takes - it's quite hard to be able to get all those things together." (dai-sport.com, 06 Feb 2024)