September 2008 gSTAR: Emily Gray

Emily Gray is the youngest member of the SA Paralympic Team and at the age of 17
she is going to compete with the world’s best Paralympics swimmers on the 13th
of September in Beijing.
Emily will be swimming the most inspirational 100 meters of her life.

Emily was just 11 years old when she was diagnosed with
an Osteo sarcoma (a type of cancer) in her left
femur, as a young girl who enjoyed long distance running, netball and competing
in school sports, cancer was inconceivable.

Emily had to undergo chemotherapy for a period of three
months and eventually was given no choice but to have her leg amputated in
February 2003. Soon after the operation Emily was encouraged to swim with the
support of Mandeville sports club, her parents and family, success was to
follow soon after, but only with a lot of hard work, guts and determination.

A year after starting to swim, Emily was participating in the SA
Games and in 2005 was standing on the starting blocks at the SA Senior
Nationals. With swimmers like Tadgh Slattery, Natalie du Toit, Gerhard Zandberg
and Ryk Neethling in the same pool, the Paralympics became not only a dream, but a
reality.

At the beginning of 2008, Emily was accepted into the High
performance sports centre in Pretoria, which is associated with the University
of Pretoria, to concentrate on her Paralympics training.

Her day begins with her getting up at 5am and swimming
for two hours, doing her "O" levels during the day and then being back at the
pool for another 2 hours, swimming an average of 11 km’s a day. Currently
ranked 5th in the world for the 100m backstroke, Emily plans to bring home
gold.

Since starting her swimming career Emily has been given
the opportunity to compete in international competitions in the UK, Rio de
Janeiro, Melbourne, Taipei and now at the world famous Water Cube in Beijing.

Next year Emily hopes to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, finish
her "O" levels and continue travelling through the world of swimming. She
continues to inspire young and old, showing that the beauty of sport is that if
you put your heart and mind to it sport can take you places, help you achieve
incredible results and most importantly give you the opportunity to live a
healthy and fun–filled
life.

Introducing gsport’s September 2008 gSTAR;
inspirational Paralympic hopeful, Emily
Gray!

Emily, how old are you, and where do you live?

I am 17 years old, and live at The High Performance
Centre in Pretoria.

Do you have a
nickname, which you sporting colleagues know you by?

Ems

When did you
first become interested in sport?

Since starting sports in Primary School.

You lead a
unique life, how have you dealt with the challenges that face you?

I like to think that everything happens for a reason, and
there will always be people who may face challenges harder than the ones I have
faced.

What drew you
to swimming?

Swimming was a way for me to be able to get back into
sport, in the water you can compete like anyone else.

How old were
you when you started swimming competitively?

12 years old.

What do you
enjoy most about swimming?

I love the freedom it gives me, athletically and
mentally.

Which swimming
events do you specialise in?

100 meter backstroke, 200 meter Individual medley, 400
meter Freestyle and 100 meter freestyle

What has
inspired you achieve such early success in your athletic career?

Once I have a dream I am determined to achieve it!

What have been
some of your career highlights to date?

Travelling the world, I have been to the UK, Brazil,
Australia and Taipai. Highlights of all these trips have been meeting amazing
athletes and establishing friendships. A few medals along the way didn’t hurt
either. Coming 4^th at the World Champs in Durban was a realization
that a medal at the Paralympics was very much in reach.

What other
sports do you participate in?

Wheelchair Basketball.

Which teams do
you currently represent?

South Africa and Northern Tigers Swimming

Who are you
coached by?

Igor Omeltchenko

Who are your
sponsors, and what have they contributed?

For the Paralympics team, the sponsors are SASCOC, Nedbank,
Puma, Sun International, Mercedes, Telkom, Pick ‘n Pay, South African Airways,
Swim South Africa & SASOL.

Who are some
of the people who have supported you throughout your career?

My family has been my biggest support system, my dad, mom
and my three
sisters.

When did you
first make your national debut, and how did you feel when you were selected?

When I
was 14 years old, I represented South Africa
at the Sheffield games in the UK.
I was ecstatic and felt so proud of my country and myself.

What is it
like to represent South Africa at the Beijing Paralympics?

It’s really a dream come true for me to go to the
Paralympics and represent my country.

How have you
prepared for the Games?

I spend four hours a day swimming and an hour and a half
in the gym. I also am on a strict diet. My motto with regards to training is
you want to race how you train.

What are your Paralympic Games goals?

It’s my first games so my aim is to get into a final and
if I medal it would be great, another aim of mine is to go out and most
importantly to have fun!

How do you
rate South Africa’s prospects at the Games?

I believe the South African team is very talented and
have taken their training very seriously, I believe we will be coming home with
medals!

What is your
favourite foreign destination?

Brazil, I loved swimming in Rio because the people and
their culture are amazing.

What does your
typical day consist of?

I begin my day by getting up at 4:30 so that I can be at
the pool by 5:00am. I then go to gym to train for an hour and a half, I then
eat breakfast and after that I study for my "A" levels. At 3:00pm I go back to
the pool to swim for another 2 hours.

What do you do
to relax when you do find the time?

I enjoy reading, watching movies, listening to my Ipod
and spending time with my friends and family.

Are you
studying? Please tell us about it.

Yes, I am currently studying my "A" levels at Greenwich
College, I am currently doing this via correspondence.

What are your
favourite spectator sports?

I love watching Rugby and my favourite team is the Golden
Lions.

Who are some
of your favourite sports stars?

Kirsty Coventry from Zimbabwe, Jessica Long from the USA
and Gerhard Zandberg.

Which swimming
stars do you admire?

Jessica Long, Natalie du Toit.

What advice do
you have for young girls who face your challenges?

To find the good in any obstacle thrown at you, and then
conquer the challenge, you will always come out a stronger person. Everything
in life really does happen for a reason, and the reasons and lessons learnt
will always make you a better person.

What does
South Africa need to do, to achieve better international results?

South Africans athletes need the support of the South
African public, with that backing you will immediately feel like a winner and
are more likely to succeed.

gsport strives
to celebrate femininity. What does femininity mean to you, and what role does
it play in your life?

Femininity to me means that you are able to be a strong person
while having the inner grace of being a young girl.

Who are your
role models?

Both my parents, my dad is always their encouraging me to
swim my best, and my mom is always there to give me love and hugs.

What inspires
you?

People who overcome any difficulty thrown their way, and
are still able to look at the bright side of life.

What is your
greatest ambition?

To bring home gold from the Paralympics, I would also
love to be able to go to a few more Paralympic Games.