[Sportsandrec] Libby Clegg aims for Paralympic gold - Daily Record

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Bringing home gold would be dream come true for 
Scottish Paralympic sprinter Libby Clegg

STARTING to lose her sight at a young age has not 
stopped Scottish sprinter Libby Clegg aiming for gold at London's Paralympics.
Blind sprinter Libby Clegg aims for gold
  Blind sprinter Libby Clegg aims for gold

BLIND Scottish sprinter Libby Clegg is used to 
overcoming adversity in her life but going for 
gold in London’s Paralympics will be her toughest challenge.

Despite starting to lose her sight when she was 
still in primary school, she has gone on to 
become a world champion, yet insists a win at the 
Games would be her greatest achievement.

Libby said: “Bringing a gold back home would be a 
dream come true – I just hope I can do it.

“I’ve got a lot of support and I’m hoping 
Scotland will get behind me on the big day.

“To win would make all the hard work and hours of training worth it.

“I feel so proud to be part of Team GB for the 
Paralympics and winning a gold medal would be incredible.”

Libby, 22, from Newcastleton, Roxburghshire, is 
preparing to take on some of the world’s most 
accomplished athletes and hopes to go one better 
than the silver she won in Beijing’s 2008 Paralympic Games.

She is the reigning world champion in both the 
100 and 200 metre sprints, and is hoping to add 
to her impressive track record when she lines up 
at the Olympic Park on September 1.

Libby Clegg competing at the Beijing Paralympics
  Libby Clegg competing at the Beijing Paralympics

She said: “This is the moment I have been waiting 
for. Every bit of sweat and tears has been 
leading up to this point. I feel ready to bring home a gold.

“I don’t want to jinx myself and I know I will be 
competing against strong individuals but I’m 
ready to give them a run for their money.”

Libby was just nine when she was diagnosed with 
Stargardt’s macular dystrophy, a deteriorating 
eye condition, slowly robbing her of her sight.

She is now registered blind and has only slight 
peripheral vision in her left eye. Her eyes are 
painfully sensitive to light and she prefers to 
wear dark glasses while running.

Libby can only read large print and relies on family and friends for help.

She cannot read her mail, look at clothing labels 
or read cooking instructions, all things she understandably finds frustrating.

But being fiercely determined, she has never let 
any of these obstacles hold her back.

She said: “Losing my sight has been hard to deal 
with but it has happened and I’ve just got to get on with it.

“Sitting around feeling sorry for myself won’t change a thing.

“I don’t want to think about the day when my sight is completely gone.

“I know it will happen one day and I will deal with it but it does scare me.”

Libby has learned to cope with her condition with 
the help and support of the Royal School for the 
Blind in Edinburgh, which she attended from the age of 12 to 18.

There she mastered life-changing skills, which 
helped her adapt to gradually losing her sight.

She said: “The school was great because every 
single person is in a similar situation. I made 
friends with people suffering with the same 
condition as me and I felt accepted.

“Just knowing other kids were like me helped me 
come to terms with losing my sight. They were instrumental in helping me cope.

“I had to learn how to adapt to life without 
perfect vision and without a doubt the staff at 
the school helped me get to where I am today.”

Realising she had a passion for running, Libby 
joined a club shortly after her diagnosis.

But it wasn’t until she was 14 that she realised 
she was good enough to compete at a serious level.

She said: “All I wanted to do was run and when I 
joined the running club I soon realised it was the one thing I was good at.”

“I was able to compete by myself and I took part 
in almost every competition until my vision got worse.”

In 2006, after falling over while competing in a 
race, Libby was advised to run with a guide by her side to help her balance.

She now runs with guide Mikail Huggins who is 
attached to Libby’s hand by a rubber rope, 
allowing them to move in sequence with one another.

“Mikail is my eyes. He is attached to my left hand during every race.

“He is a fantastic sprinter and we are both on 
the same level in terms of endurance and fitness. 
He will be with me at the Games and he is every 
bit as determined as me to win.”

In preparation for the Games, Libby is 
undertaking a tough fitness regime, including 
gruelling visits to the gym and three intensive 
sprint training sessions a week.

She has been placed on a special diet to make 
sure she is in peak physical condition.

She is excited about meeting the other Paralympic 
Team GB members in Portugal, where they are now 
fine-tuning their strategies for London.

Speaking before she left, Libby said: “I can’t 
wait to get to Portugal and meet the other Team 
GB athletes. I think when I am there it will really sink in.

“Right now I am training up to three hours a day 
and I am setting myself goals to beat my last sprint time.”

Libby, who will be staying at the Olympic 
Village, has already visited the 2012 athletics track.

She said: “As soon as I saw it, the nerves kicked in.

“It looks fantastic and I stood there thinking 
how lucky I am to be part of such an incredible global event.

“I feel like every moment of my life has been 
leading to this point and maybe in a way if I 
didn’t lose my vision then I wouldn’t be this driven to succeed.

“I think everything happens for a reason and my 
disability has led me here and for that I am blessed.”

Libby is being sponsored in her Paralympic bid by 
Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre.

Malcolm Cannon, chief executive at ESPC, said: 
“Once you have met Libby you cannot fail to be 
inspired by her enthusiasm, approach and determination to succeed.

“She has achieved so much in her mere 22 years 
and she has not let her disability hold her back.”


http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/health-fitness/libby-clegg-aims-for-paralympic-gold-1228505