Wheelchair sprinter Mel Nicholls has admitted that she has still not come to terms with the fact that she will be competing in her first Paralympic Games.
The 33-year-old, who is a teaching assistant, is currently in Portugal with her fellow athletes preparing for the Games.
"I am over the moon," told The Citizen. "It hasn't sunk in yet still. It is all just a bit of a blur and the most amazing dream I don't want to wake up from.
"Obviously it is my first Games so I don't know what to expect. It is just going to be the most amazing experience and I want to enjoy every second of it and I intend to.
"I want to do the best I possibly can, and I will. I owe so many people so much and I'm going to get it for them."
Nicholls, who will take to the track on August 31 and September 6 in the T38 category in the 100m and 200m sprints, was forced to live life in a wheelchair after suffering a number of strokes in her 20s.
