MATON Polly

Classification
T46, F46 (IPC, 27 Jul 2021)

Type of Impairment
Limb deficiency (gazetteandherald.co.uk, 15 Aug 2014)

Origin of Impairment
Congenital (gazetteandherald.co.uk, 15 Aug 2014)

Impairment Details
She was born with part of her right arm missing. (gazetteandherald.co.uk, 15 Aug 2014)

General
SECOND CHANCE IN TOKYO
She suffered an ankle ligament injury in March 2020 and required surgery, which would have ruled her out of contention for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo before the Games were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "I went through a good month believing the Paralympics were going on and I definitely would not be there, unless they had a new crutches event. I'm going to the Games I was never supposed to be attending. No, I am not thankful for COVID. It goes without saying that I would not have taken this opportunity in spite of the horrors of the last 18 months. This will just be a weird, personal silver lining. Lesson learned, never count yourself out." (Twitter profile, 21 Jun 2021)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
She has served as disability officer for Lady Margaret Hall College at the University of Oxford in England and says there needs to be more inclusion in athletics at all levels of the sport in Great Britain. "Inclusion is really important. In 2021 though, things need to happen now and quickly, throughout [the University of] Oxford and more widely. Ableism often gets forgotten, especially in sport, but it really, really sucks. I tried to push the college to think of new ways to make itself more accessible, so more welcoming to those with a disability." (britishathletics.org, 01 Jun 2020; Instagram profile, 30 Jun 2021)