A SWIMMER has fulfilled a "lifelong dream" to take part in the Paralympics after a city university created a one-of-a-kind prostethic for her.

Strathclyde University prosthetist and orthotist, Sarah Day, created the prosthetic arm for Toni Shaw after her coach, David Boyd, contacted them in 2018. 

Toni was born without her right arm and as a result was not able to do the upper body conditioning required for swimmers, as it has never fully formed. Sarah said: "David explained he was trying to build up Toni's upper limb strength but because of the imbalance, it was hard to exercise the side without the hand and her muscle bulk was becoming uneven in the training.

Glasgow Times:

"We got Toni down to the University and worked out what she needed and what the options were. "The aim was to make a custom device which would give even limb length and enable Toni to safely hold bars and lift weights.

"For me the challenge was also making an arm that was strong enough to allow Toni to hang off a bar in the gym."

David Boyd said: "The prosthesis has made a huge difference to what Toni can do in terms of her range of training.

"She's made objective, measurable improvements in her upper body strength which can be connected to the use of the prosthesis and looks really strong in the pool.

Glasgow Times:

"Without it, there would be a limit on what she could do on land, so it has enhanced her capacity for training. The application in the gym is great, but more important is the transfer to the performance in the water in the lead up to Tokyo."

Toni will take to the pool in Tokyo next week, representing Team GB. She said: "It's such a strong British team and it's an honour to be part of it. It means everything, it's so special."