Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Swimmer Toni Shaw vows to win fitness battle ahead of Paralympics

The Aberdonian is struggling with a back injury ahead of this summer's games in Paris.

Aberdeen swimmer Toni Shaw is gearing up for the Paralympic Games in Paris. Image: Toni Shaw
Aberdeen swimmer Toni Shaw is gearing up for the Paralympic Games in Paris. Image: Toni Shaw

Toni Shaw has vowed to win her fitness fight to make the Paris Paralympics and upgrade her bronze from the pool in Tokyo to a glorious gold.

The 20-year-old Aberdonian was confirmed on Monday in a 24-strong British swimming squad for August’s Games alongside fellow Scots Stephen Clegg and Louis Lawlor.

But Shaw, who broke through as the youngest member of Scotland’s travelling party at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, is set to undergo intensive treatment on a back issue that has flared up at the worst possible time.

It has left the three-time world champion in a race against time to be fully healthy and with the right preparation to chase her dreams.

The prospect of lighting up the French capital, however, means it is a battle she’s determined to win.

Shaw said: “It’s a bit stressful, but I’m so excited to be able to go to another Paralympics and it to be more normal.

“I’m going to a rehab clinic at Bisham Abbey this week and I’m hoping the back will be fixable.

“I don’t know what shape I’ll be in, because I can’t train properly right now.

“But I’m definitely hoping that I’ll still be able to go and race.

“It has been really hard. Because, with swimming, the only way to perform well is to train.

“I’ve never been injured before, and obviously this is not the time you do want to be injured.

“But I’ve had so much support from everyone in the swimming environment and family and friends.

“So I couldn’t have been better supported.”

Shaw turns to new coach Patrick Miley

Toni Shaw is working with new coach Patrick Miley. Image: PA.

The freestyle specialist, born without a right hand, has undergone a reboot since deciding to quit the swimming programme at the University of Stirling and return home to Aberdeen to work under new coach, Patrick Miley.

Taking the experience he gained while leading his daughter Hannah to countless major medals and a fourth place at the Rio Olympics has Shaw ready for a title tilt.

She said: “He’s definitely a really experienced coach and he’s got a lot of knowledge.

“But my old coach before I left Aberdeen, Gregor McMillan, is there, so I probably speak to him more.

“He’s my go-to since he was my coach since I was 14 – and he went to Tokyo with me.

“So to still have his support alongside Patrick, I couldn’t really ask for any more.”

Conversation