Book lover Shackleton ready to write Paralympic story

Megan Shackleton says she has been "smiling for weeks" aft earning her last-gasp spot successful nan array tennis title astatine nan Paris 2024 Paralympics.

The 25-year-old from Halifax will compete for ParalympicsGB successful nan women's singles and mixed doubles aft earning a spot done nan bipartite committee - efficaciously a wildcard spot -having grounded to advancement done nan qualifying competition.

She forms portion of an 11-strong GB squad for Paris, which includes Paralympic golden medallists Will Bayley and Rob Davies.

The squad is completed by Tokyo medallists Shackleton, Paul Karabardak, Aaron McKibbin, Billy Shilton and Tom Matthews, Commonwealth champion and world runner-up Joshua Stacey, arsenic good arsenic 3 caller Paralympians successful world and European medallist Martin Perry, doubles champion Fliss Pickard and 14-year-old Bly Twomey.

And Shackleton, who won bronze successful 2021 successful nan women's doubles alongside Susan Bailey, is wished not to fto this 2nd chance slip.

"My look is aching from smiling, I americium truthful complete nan moon. It has been a rollercoaster complete nan past 18 months," she told BBC Sport.

"I've been going to arsenic galore competitions arsenic imaginable to get ranking points, I came 3rd successful nan qualifying tourney which was not enough. I had processed I wasn't going to Paris.

"So I americium much grateful than ever, it is simply a immense honour to correspond ParalympicsGB. Now it is starting to consciousness real."

Shackleton was hampered by a alteration successful nan qualification process for these Paralympics. For Tokyo 2020, nan apical six successful nan world rankings qualified for singles automatically, but for Paris 2024 this was reduced to nan apical 3 pinch nan remaining places earned by location champions.

But while this forced Shackleton to alert from Texas to Thailand and everyplace successful betwixt to effort and qualify, she says this rigorous schedule has made her much prepared than ever.

Shackleton is besides utilized to fighting against nan likelihood to execute her sporting dreams.

Growing up, she was a keen swimmer pinch dreams of nan Olympics. Aged nine, she went to activity pinch her dada - and her life was changed forever.

"I sewage crushed nether immoderate machinery, and spent a twelvemonth successful hospital," she says of nan arena that has near her successful a wheelchair.

" retrieve erstwhile I was successful infirmary successful Sheffield, my main interest was whether I would beryllium capable to spell to an Olympics. My mum explained really I could transportation connected pinch swimming, that location was thing called nan Paralympics, and each nan doctors were really supportive too."

Shackleton's life was besides changed aged 12 erstwhile she attended a Playground to Podium arena tally by West Yorkshire Sport, designed to let young group to effort caller sports.

She gave array tennis a go, was flagged arsenic personification pinch talent and - mixed pinch watching London 2012 - her way to nan Paralympics was set.

"The point I loved astir array tennis from nan commencement is that location are truthful galore aspects that make a bully player," she said. "And gathering nan ParalympicsGB squad earlier London was really inspiring.

"It's really powerful, I cognize I utilized to adore [swimmer] Rebecca Adlington. Will Bayley really inspired maine arsenic well, it is important for kids to person awesome domiciled models."

After getting connected nan podium successful Japan, Shackleton is aiming for akin occurrence successful France some successful nan singles and successful nan mixed doubles alongside GB's different wildcard, Tom Matthews - who she describes arsenic her champion mate and a "dream travel true" to play alongside.

Shackleton has besides been balancing her sporting aspirations pinch her different emotion - books.

Following nan aforesaid way arsenic Olympic awesome Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Shackleton is studying for a grade astatine nan University of Sheffield. While Ennis-Hill studied psychology however, Shackleton is pursuing a qualification successful English Literature.

Shackleton was successful nan mediate of her 2nd twelvemonth astatine Sheffield, but paused her studies to prosecute her Paralympics place. She will resume her grade successful February 2025, and praised nan assemblage for their support.

"I person missed it. I bask having that situation academically," she says of her degree.

"Maybe I moreover emotion lit arsenic as overmuch arsenic I emotion array tennis, I had awesome teachers successful schoolhouse who gave maine a existent passion. I'm besides willing successful journalism, I emotion wanting to show different people's stories.

"I can't ideate not studying English and not playing sport. Books and sport, these are nan things that make maine beryllium me."

Shackleton's favourite book is nan young big caller The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, arsenic she says she tin place pinch nan main characteristic Charlie, a teen suffering from post-traumatic accent disorder.

“I felt I could subordinate to Charlie - for illustration I was personification pinch a spot much than anyone other successful their background."

The array tennis events successful Paris will return spot from August 29 to September 7 astatine nan South Paris Arena 4.

The tourney will commencement pinch nan men's, women's and mixed doubles events that person replaced squad events, pinch nan 22 singles events - 11 wheelchair and 11 opinionated - to follow.