Sherwood Park, Alta., athlete ready for Paralympics debut after setting Canadian record

Local woman to make Paralympic debut Amanda Rummery will compete in the Paris Paralympics after setting a Canadian record. Evan Kenny has her story.

A Sherwood Park woman will be making her Paralympic debut this year in Paris after setting a new Canadian record.

Amanda Rummery set the mark last month at the Olympic and Paralympic Trials in Montreal with a time of 57.99 seconds in the Para ambulatory women's 400m.

She was one of 14 Canadians to qualify for Paris at the Montreal meet.

It'll be the 26-year-old University of Alberta student's first Paralympics. She narrowly missed a spot for the 2021 Tokyo Games.

“It’s great knowing all that I’ve sacrificed, all of the hard work that I’ve put in through the years is paying off," Rummery told CTV News Edmonton.

Rummery lost her arm in an ATV accident shortly after her high school graduation in 2015 and began running competitively three years later.

After one year of competition, she had broken the Canadian 100m record.

“During those years of adjusting to life with one arm — losing my dominant arm, transitioning, doing things differently — track and running became an outlet for me," she said.

Rummery is now ranked No. 2 in the world.

Ahead of a race, she says she has to be hyped up but not anxious.

"Every single race gives me more trust in myself and my abilities," Rummery said. "That’s also what I’m thinking when I’m in those starting blocks."

The Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games begin Aug. 28 and run through Sept. 8.