Teenage sprinter Telaya Blacksmith used to be so bad at running the 400m she would get halfway through a race and be forced to walk the last 200m.
So it’s some turnaround that Blacksmith, who has been likened to Cathy Freeman, is set to make her Paralympic debut boasting the open Australian 400m record at the age of 16.
Blacksmith competes in the T20 classification for athletes with an intellectual disability and is one of four Indigenous competitors on the Australian team.
“I’m quite thankful to have made it to Paris, I wouldn’t have thought a 16-year-old would be able to take that opportunity,” said Blacksmith, who will also compete in the long jump.
“I get really nervous before I race but when I am on the track, I relax and just run.
“It means a lot to me and my family … what I'm trying to achieve is to prove to other Indigenous people out there, especially with disabilities, that they can run.”
Blacksmith is a Warlpiri woman, who hails from Lajamanu in remote Northern Territory but has relocated to Sydney in recent years with adoptive parents Ryan and Bec Woolfe.
Blacksmith’s background and choice of disciplines have earned inevitable comparisons with Freeman and Nova Peris.
Peris personally phoned Blacksmith last week to offer the teenager encouragement.
Her wider family includes artist Peter Blacksmith and she is expecting a big crowd in Lajamanu - almost 900km from Darwin - to cheer on her first heat.
“I’m pretty popular back home,” Blacksmith said with a grin.
“If I don’t make it (as an athlete) I want to be a police officer because I want to help people in the Northern Territory.
“I want to help my community … I loved the culture that came with being there.”
Blacksmith’s other burning ambition is Aussie rules.
She pulled out of her team’s finals campaign to protect herself from injury heading into Paris and the teenager is eyeing a spot in next year’s AFLW draft.
“I’m in the Swans academy and I love my AFL, it is hard to juggle both,” Blacksmith said.
“I'm a Richmond supporter and Dustin Martin is someone I’ve always looked up to… Unfortunately they’re not winning this year - I don’t even know why my dad watches it anymore.”
For now the focus is on the Stade de France where Blacksmith faces a tough field.
Blacksmith insists she doesn’t get intimidated racing against women many years her senior.
The Australian boasts a 400m personal best of 58.95 but will face stiff competition from two-time gold medal winner Breanna Clark (USA) and Indian sprinter Deepthi Jeevanji, who set a new world record of 55.07 earlier this year.
Blacksmith races in her 400m heat on September 3 (4.15am AEDT).
