Lewis aims to become Bermuda’s first Paralympic medallist

“It is not only a huge honour to receive this title, but definitely shows me that the island is becoming aware of Para sports.

After winning her country’s first Parapan American Games title last August, Bermudan wheelchair racer Jessica Lewis is now eyeing a medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

The 23-year-old had a season to remember in 2015. In August she lowered the 100m T53 Parapan Am record on her way to gold at Toronto 2015 and two months later won bronze in the same event at the Doha 2015 World Championships.

Lewis is now targeting further success at Rio 2016.

“I am really excited about going to Rio. My main aim for the Paralympic Games is to better my results from London 2012,” said Lewis who finished eighth in the 100m, 200m and 400m T53 races four years ago.

“I definitely have more confidence going into the Rio Games as I have four more years of racing and training experience,” she said.

At Rio 2016 Lewis aims to build on the momentum of winning her country’s first major Para athletics title and making the podium at the World Championships.

“It was incredible to be on the podium [in Toronto] with the Bermuda National Anthem playing and my country’s flag being raised. My feeling of pride was overwhelming.

“Being on the podium in Doha was just as thrilling because I achieved the bronze medal against the best T53 women racers in the world,” she said.

“To be able to bring those medals home is amazing.”

Such was her success last year that Lewis was voted “Most Fascinating Person” in Bermuda.

“It is not only a huge honour to receive this title, but definitely shows me that the island is becoming aware of Para sports.

“That to me is amazing because it is opening up a whole new world to our population of people with disabilities that they probably were not aware of previously.”

Lewis does not only put all her passion into athletics, but also into writing about her track journey and experiences on her blog jessicalewistrack.weebly.com.

“I am passionate about advocating for people with disabilities, a word which I want to change to “people who are differently abled.”

Lewis will also write about her second Paralympic experience in Rio, where she may become the first Bermudian ever to win a Paralympic Games medal.

“I think it is possible to beat China’s World and Paralympic champion, and world record holder Lisha Huang,” she said.

“It will still take a lot of hard work, perseverance and determination.”

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Sport fans from around the world can now buy their Paralympic tickets for Rio 2016 from authorised ticket resellers (ATRs).

The IPC’s Global ATR is Jet Set Sports, and Rio 2016 tickets and packages can be purchased on the CoSport website.

Residents of Brazil can buy 2016 Paralympics tickets directly from the Rio 2016 website.