Melanie Woods’ Journey to Paris

In 2018, PE teacher Melanie Woods life was turned upside down, when she was involved in a cycling crash which resulted in a spinal cord injury and paralysis from the waist down.

After her accident Melanie was supported by a WheelPower Activity Advisor at the Queen Elizabeth Spinal Unit, Glasgow. She attended the 2019 Inter Spinal Unit Games and in 2020 received funding from WheelPower to help her to purchase some new carbon fibre wheels for her racing chair.

Her focus then moved to becoming active again and finding love for sport like she once had. She began training wheelchair racing with a local club and found herself in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, where she came 5th in the T54 800m.

She improved her times during the 2021 season and also competed at the European Para Athletics Championships in Poland, where she finished fifth in the T54 800m and 1500m.

At the Para Athletics World Championships in Kobe, Mel secured two fourth place finishes in preparation for the Paris 2024 Paralympic games.

Paris will be Melanie’s second Paralympic Games, and she will compete in three events in Paris, the T54 400, 600m and 1500m.