London Anniversary Games: Paige Murray to use 'borrowed chair'
Last updated on .From the section Disability Sport
British para-athlete Paige Murray is having to borrow a wheelchair for this weekend's London Anniversary Games.
Murray, 21, representing Great Britain for the first time, races in the T34 400m and will face double Paralympic gold medallist Hannah Cockroft.
She told BBC Radio Leicester: "I won't be competing in my chair, the chair that I have is a borrowed chair.
"The chair made for me is restricted and I can't push all the way through to put the power through the rims."
The Anniversary Games are taking place at the Olympic Stadium this weekend, with the final leg of the IPC Grand Prix Series taking place on Sunday - and Murray can still not quite believe she will be racing in front of thousands of people.
"I found out via email and read it about 10 times before I believed it and I still don't think it has sunk in," she said.
"Of course I am getting faster but the thought of my GB debut is quite surreal. I will be up against some world-class athletes. To be able to make my dream a reality is fantastic."
For Paige to continue her dream, she says she will need more funding in her bid to get a suitable chair.
"The borrowed chair which I am using is a lot narrower and I can push a lot easier, but ultimately every athlete needs their own chair to be able to compete on the world stage," she said.
"I am looking for funding at the minute, so if anyone is out there and wants to follow up on my story and has a few pennies to spare, that would be brilliant.
"A new chair is between three and four thousand pounds. That's a lot of money, isn't it? But every penny helps. I am working hard in my job to get those pennies."
