Australia releases ‘One Year to Go’ video

“One year to go signifies 365 more times that my alarm will wake me up at 4 a.m. for training.”

Under a year remains before Australia’s Paralympic athletes take to the stage at the Rio 2016 Games. Team Australia expects to field 170 athletes and to harvest excitement for the athletes, the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) released a ‘One Year to Go’ video.

For London 2012 Paralympic bronze medallist in cycling Alex Green, the year ahead will be the time to push herself to ensure she peaks when it matters most.

“It is two to three sessions most days or more than 600 sessions in total,” Green said.

“Before 7 September next year, it will be thousands of kilometres on the track on the road where my body will be telling me to stop.”

Paralympic hopeful and javelin thrower Jayden Sawyer will also be aiming for Rio 2016, and he can gauge his performance in October’s 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha.

He hopes to contribute to Australia’s target of a top five finish on the medal tally.

“I believe I can do myself, my coach, my team and my family proud. I believe that I belong and I am worthy of selection,” he said.

Swimmer Prue Watt is also preparing for another golden opportunity that is four years in the making. Before next year, she will have swum more kilometres than the distance from Sydney to Rio and back again.

“One year to go signifies 365 more times that my alarm will wake me up at 4 a.m. for training,” Watt said.

“One-hundred laps per session, 700km per week. That takes true belief in myself and what I can achieve.”

For more information on Team Australia, visit the APC’s website.