Who could have known that was the beginning of an incredible journey for me. That journey finally came to an end last week, 18 years and 21 gold medals later.

It is easy for a young child or a teenager with a disability to doubt themselves, and to think that they are not adequate enough. Sport was the vehicle that really changed that for me. It has given me a belief and confidence in myself that perhaps wouldn’t have flourished in the same way had I shied away from heading down to the athletics club all those years ago.

When someone believes and has confidence in themselves and what they can achieve, it changes their whole outlook on life. Lofty aspirations don’t seem as unattainable. We know that the number of people with disabilities partaking in sport are significantly lower. We also know that people with disabilities are less likely to go on to higher education. I believe that sport can have a huge societal impact on how people with disabilities look at themselves and in turn how the world views them.

It’s very hard to quantify the impact sport has had on my life. I know that I have been fortunate to have had a wonderful career at the highest level of my sport, but there is a benefit to participating in sport at any level, especially for those with a disability. Physically, mentally, and socially the benefits of participation have been proven time and time again. True, not everyone can become a Paralympian, but sport can still have such a positive impact on your life no matter what level you engage with it.

​I feel very privileged to have achieved what I have. It took a lot of hard work, and I didn’t do it on my own by any stretch of the imagination. However, I have been incredibly lucky to have been able to sustain such a high level of consistency and motivation throughout my career. But even before that took off, I enjoyed football and being active. From where I sit now, I can see how it has helped me and shaped me; but even my younger self had a sense that it was doing me good. Being active and involved in sport always made me feel better about myself.

I knew I was coming to the end of my career. Physically, though, I was in excellent shape which made the decision to step away a lot harder than I thought it would be. Every athlete is acutely aware that the transition away from sport is going to happen at some point and it is very hard to know when to bow out, especially when you feel that you are still able to compete at the highest level. Some athletes don’t get the luxury of deciding when their time is up.

Two months ago, Paris 2024 was the only thing on my mind, but as soon as conversations about the possibility of joining Paralympics Ireland began, I had to stop and weigh up my options. Ultimately, I felt the opportunity to help shape the future of paralmypics sport here was too good an opportunity to pass up. I will soon become their Strategy Manager.

Para sport has been in a transition for a while now and I feel that I can positively impact the direction it is going in. I have 18 years of experience in the sport, I don’t know if there is anyone else who has the breadth of knowledge that I have from my athletic career alone. I have a unique understanding and perspective of what it takes and what is required to compete at the highest level and I think that is invaluable.

For the past six years I have been on the board of Vision Sports Ireland. Being involved at grassroots level for a while now means that I have an understanding of the complexities of disability sport from a different angle, not just that of an athlete, and that is something I will be bringing to my new role too.

As an athlete it is hard to use your platform to drive the changes needed, even when you can see what changes you think need to be made. The amount of time and energy that goes into your training means other things like advocacy for para sport fall by the wayside. Now that I’m moving away from competing, I know that I will have the time and the headspace to inspire, educate and use my platform in a different way. I want to use my profile to increase the visibility of disability sports and to really champion that from an off-the-track aspect. As awareness improves that can start to change the view of others.

I also want to delve into how Paralympics Ireland can best support athletes and give them every opportunity to be their best. I know that my input will be invaluable in this area having lived the life of an athlete for almost 20 years.

​Knitting all these elements together will mean that we can have a greater impact as an organisation in para and disability sport throughout the country.

Being driven to be successful has many different meanings for people. My desire is to be my best version of me. I’ve been able to prove myself in my actions on the track. The challenge for me now is to transfer that into the next phase of my life. Having been consumed in the high-performance environment for so many years, the drive becomes normal. To be successful at anything you must be committed and that’s a journey you can only go on yourself, no one else can do it for you.

Leaving my comfort zone is intimidating, but I am looking forward to it. I’m excited because I know that there is so much great work to be done and I’m grateful that I am going to be a part of positive change.

A chance introduction to athletics has given me huge opportunities in life. Imagine if I hadn’t bothered to give it a shot?