An inspiring amputee has told how competing in the Paralympics restored her confidence after a horror accident in the RAF. Shona Brownlee, from Livingston, West Lothian, was a former member of the Royal Air Force when she broke her ankle during a final training exercise.
After it failed to heal, she developed complications which led to the below-knee amputation. Devastated by the incident, she feared that her career in the armed forces was over before it had the chance to get off the ground.
But determined to find the positives, inspiring Shone explored sitskiing as part of a military programme. From there, she went on to secure her place as a Paralympian competing in Bejing in 2022.
Shona told Edinburgh Live: "It was definitely a life-changing injury and things were pretty tough at the start. I was faced with the prospect of losing my career when it had barely begun. Learning to sitski opened up a whole new world. It showed me that 'disability' didn't necessarily mean 'inability' and that I was still able to achieve things despite my injury."
Eventually, Shona was invited to join Armed Forces Para-Snowsport Team (AFPST), who lent her equipment and provided coaching. Through there, she excelled and got her first experience of racing at military ski championships.
She said: "As I began to train more seriously, it was a bit of a juggling act balancing training schedules and my full-time job, especially as the majority of our training naturally took place abroad in the mountains. I was offered a place on the RAF Elite Athlete Scheme in the summer of 2021 which enabled me to focus on training full-time as I aimed for Paralympic selection.
"At the same time, I was selected for the GB Para-Alpine World Class Programme and competed in my first World Cup races that year, winning two bronze medals. This qualified me to race at the Para-Alpine Skiing World Championships in Norway in January 2022 before I was then selected for the Beijing Paralympics.”
Shona had to work hard in order to be selected for Team GB in China. She competed in a number of international races before she was able to meet the criteria.
On how she got on in Beijing, she continued: “I had three top 10 finishes, and came sixth in Super G and ninth in both Giant Slalom and Slalom. I hope I can learn from the experience I had in Beijing and develop over the next few years and hopefully qualify to compete again at the next Paralympics in Milan-Cortina 2026.”
Shona, who is a musician for the RAF as well as a highly successful snow sports athlete, offered advice for anyone wishing to follow in her footsteps. She said: “I don't have a sporting background and didn't consider myself remotely athletic until I took up skiing.
"I'd always encourage anybody to seize opportunities and try something new, even if it means pushing out of your comfort zone - which I definitely was, and still am at times. You never know where it might lead and you just might surprise yourself.”
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