paramazing

The wider BSC community takes this opportunity to congratulate 

Isis Holt - Paralympian

who has just been named the Moreland Leader Junior Sports Star of 2016. Isis is in Year 9 at BSC.

A Paralympic athlete who competes in T35 sprint events, Isis  is affected by the condition Cerebral Palsy - but that didn't stop her bringing home silver and a bronze medals from the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

Three years of training and international competition, commitment, persistence, teamwork and determination define the story of Isis' journey to Rio. Her passion to be the best she can be has taken her to 2015 Athletics World Championships in Doha where she won gold in both her individual events and cemented her place in the Paralympic team.  There she became the World Record Holder for both the 100m & 200m T35 sprint.

Isis moved to Brunswick Secondary College from Melbourne Girls Grammar at the beginning of Term 4 - just after her Paralympic triumphs. Knowing of her imminent arrival, her soon-to-be peers and staff  were tuning in to her athletic events and cheering her on long before even meeting her!

'It was amazing to go to Rio,' said the Paralympian. 'My mum and dad and my coach went with me. The Athletes' Village experience and travelling with the team was incredible - it was a wonderful feeling to be in a place with other athletes like me. I was in a place where being disabled was normal -  instead of being 'different' - it was an amazing feeling.'  

Isis' condition, Cerebral Palsy (CP), affects both of her legs and her left arm,  causes a spasticity in the muscles and impacts her coordination and general movement. The condition also causes her muscles to easily and suddenly succumb to debilitating fatigue.  The left side of Isis' body is two inches shorter than her right,  so she must must constantly be in tune to her body when competing - to ensure she maintains good balance.

What is it like to win

a medal?

'Honestly,  I was a little disappointed with getting silver in my 100m event because I was tipped to win gold in both the 100m T35 sprint and the 200m T35 sprint. But the losses also give me something to focus on and gold is in my sights - which is a good thing. '

Isis' team experience - the 4 x 100m T35 relay - was quite another story.

'As a team, we were not at all confident going into the event. Just the week before in training we had been unable to get the baton around the track - our timeing was not so good and our baton changes were messy - so we really felt like underdogs.  I ran the second leg of the relay and had to then watch the big screen to see how my teammates fared. I watched the first and second place-getters go over the line then held my breath for what seemed AGES !  Then I saw my teammate finish in third position!  For us,  that bronze medal really felt like a gold medal win.  We had put all our faith in each other, given it our absolute best effort as a team and acheived what we never thought we could!'

The hard work pays off...

Watch here to see some of Isis' and her teammates' acheivements.

And what now?

While she is both humbled by and proud of her success, athletics is but one part of her life.

Like all teenagers, Isis has many different interests, many friends and a wide array of prospects for the future. She is really looking forward to the summer holidays,  when she can indulge in her other favourite things - like horseriding, reading and - best of all - hanging out with her friends! Focusing on her athletics career has impacted heavily on Isis' social life - so the opportunity to spend time with friends is never taken forgranted.  The summer will be spent as a 'typical' teenager!

Isis continues to train regularly and to looks forward to competition - perhaps even another Paralympics appearance and to defending her title as the current World Record holder in the 100m T35 sprint event.

But her success on the track does not define her, and neither does her medical condition.

Athletics has been her vehicle for building her strenth, self-belief, work ethic and resilience. In the meantime, Isis' achievements have  shown others what she has always known; that disability is no barrier to success in any  field.