Loughborough College student Olivia Breen was one of the first ParalympicsGB athletes at the Belo Horizonte holding camp in Brazil on Friday for final preparations – and this morning arrived at the Olympic village.
This is Olivia’s second Paralympic Games after she starred in the bronze medal-winning relay team at London 2012.
The 20 year old multi-event athlete said Rio has been at the front of her mind for the past four years and that she now feels confident as she faces her first day of competition on Thursday in the T38 100m with the long jump and 4 x 100m following later in the Games.
“My training over the last few weeks has gone really well. I’ve spent quite a bit of time training in Loughborough which has been really good.
“Watching the Olympics has made it all so much more of a reality. Team GB were amazing and seeing so many incredible performances has been really inspiring.
“I am feeling in a good place. I feel well and I’m in good shape – I am so excited! My kit arrived last week and I love it!
“Rio looks amazing and it will be a real privilege to be part of it.”
Olivia, who was born with a meningitis-type illness which left her with cerebral palsy, came to the attention of UK Athletics in 2012 when her results in 100m, 200m and long jump that season ranked her top in the UK in her category.
After being sent to Croatia to be classified to compete internationally and put on a list of athletes to be considered for the 2012 Paralympics, Olivia – who was then only 15 - was invited to start training with the GB Women’s relay team.
At her international debut at the European Championships in Holland Olivia won bronze in the 100m and 200m and was described by UK Athletics head coach Peter Erikson as “phenomenal”. She went on to qualify for London 2012.
Relay success continued for Olivia after her bronze medal win at London 2012 with silver at the IPC Athletics European Championships in Swansea in 2014 before a world record-breaking performance at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha in 2015 to claim gold. In Doha, Olivia finished narrowly outside the medals in the 100m and 200m, finishing fourth, but she added another relay gold to her collection as well as a world record at the 2015 IPC Athletics European Championships in Grosseto, Italy.