“I’ve gone from the little girl who was told she couldn’t do anything to qualifying for the Paralympics,” states Britain’s Beijing 2022 flagbearer Meggan Dawson-Farrell. “This proves I can do something and so can all people with disabilities out there too.”
Born with spina bifida – a problem with spinal column which can cause nerve damage and limited mobility – Dawson-Farrell tells a grim story about never having an opportunity to participate in sport as a child because teachers made the assumption she was not capable.
Were it not for her mum’s persistence then she would almost certainly never have raced on the track at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games or taken up wheelchair curling.
Britain’s Olympic curlers excelled at Beijing 2022 with the women’s team claiming gold and the men silver. ParalympicsGB’s wheelchair curling team – which features female and male players – unsurprsingly have podium aspirations themselves too.
Ahead of the Beijing Winter Paralympics - which run from 4-13th March - Dawson-Farrell speaks about her incredible journey to the Games with the Women’s Sports Alliance (WSA).
Q – Tell us about your journey to elite sport, which for many years looked far from a likely path for you!
“Going right back into primary school I had no sport at all. Because I was disabled they didn’t think I could do anything. Maybe I couldn’t do thing the way able-bodied people could, but I would find a way.
“Going into high school I thought, ‘different place, different people, different teacher it’ll be a different experience,’ but again absolutely nothing, not even PE. I began to doubt myself and I still wasn’t doing anything sport-related when I left school.
“It wasn’t until my mum took me to a sports camp that was being run by the Scottish Disability sport and I went, kicking and screaming of course.
“My mum took my aunt with her in case she needed help and they packed a bag for themselves because they weren’t sure if I would stay, especially after I told them I was going to run away! I ended up having a great time though and I didn’t want to leave because I’d found something I could do.”
Q – Competing for Scotland at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games must have been an incredible experience. How did that opportunity come about?
“I discovered this passion for sport and a few weeks later were contacted by Scottish Disability Sport and asked to come along to an athletics club to try out.
“I got on that track, fell in love and never looked back. After initially going around the track in my day chair – which wasn’t really ideal – I got my own race chair that was fitted to myself.
“I progressed up in athletics to be selected for Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and that was just an incredible experience having 40,000 people screaming your name!”
Q – You had found a love for athletics, but then decided to switch to winter sports – so how did dramatic change come about?
“Unfortunately I got a pressure-sore and was out of action for a while following the Commonwealths. I got a bit down in the dumps, but once I was back on my feet we got in touch with Scottish Disability Sport and they said to come along to the National Curling Academy. It was at the end of 2018. I gave it a go and found myself a new passion.
“Going from an individual sport to a team one, some people would maybe find that difficult from being on their own to now having people around them, whereas I absolutely loved it.
“You’re not on your own. If you’re having a bad day you’ve other people around you to fall back on and you’ve got someone there to enjoy the experiences with you.”
Q – Wheelchair curling is a mixed sport but we still see a lot more men competing than women. You’re following legendary skip Aileen Neilsen and alternate Charlotte McKenna is also in Beijing with you, but how much are you hoping to inspire more women to compete?
“For me going into the sport, seeing all the other female athletes in wheelchair curling and following Aileen, it’s big shoes to fill, that’s for sure.
“Curling is seen as an older peron’s sport because a lot of the people in it are older generation, but it doesn’t have to be. For me it’s about trying to get that younger generation into the sport, but not too quickly because they might take my spot, ha!”
Q – The team last won a Paralympic medal at Sochi 2014 with bronze. What do you make of your medal prospects at the Beijing Paralympics?
“I think every athlete wants a medal, I don’t mind what colour it is, I’m not fussy, but I’m going to go, compete, do what I do every single day of my life and give it my best shot.
“Then, whether I get a medal or not I can come away and say that I’ve done my best and being a Paralympian is an achievement in itself which not many people can say. I’m going to enjoy it, because after everything that happened when I was younger and not being able to do sport, I just say ‘never let an opportunity pass you by’!”