Proud Mel Clarke with her London 2012 silver medal
After a thrilling archery contest in the London Paralympics, Mel Clarke is already taking aim at her next competition: the World Championships in Thailand next year.
She now holds Paralympic bronze and silver medals, so aiming for gold at Rio has to be the long-term goal. But there's no bitterness at missing out on the top spot at London - it was an all-British final, with Mel's team-mate Dani Brown winning on the last arrow.
See Mel's moment in the Paralympic Games here
Mel is a former World Champion, and in 2003 became the first ever disabled archer in Europe to qualify for the able-bodied team. She lost both the use of her legs and the sight in one eye to Lyme disease at a time when she was ranked second in the country among able-bodied athletes. So what does it take to be one of the world's best?
'I shoot six or seven days a week, I swim for cardio and do weight work in gym,' says Mel. Then there's the regular massages to keep herself in peak form.
Mel, aged 30, took up archery 16 years ago, after trying it out on a summer 'have a go' course.
'I was so bad at it, it was funny,' she remembers. But she enjoyed it and within 18 months she had her own archery kit and was hooked. Since those early days, Mel has moved from Norfolk to Worcestershire to be closer to her coach, and sport is now her life.
Because of the elite level she performs at, Mel receives UK Sport and National Lottery funding as well as sponsorship support. When she's not training, she works as a Sky Sports athlete mentor, visiting special needs schools and organisations to encourage young people to take up sport.
Best bits of the Paralympics? 'It's been incredible to be here, to see all the other athletes and compete on home soil. I have loved every minute,' she says.
'Beijing was amazing, but it wasn't the same as it's been here at the London Games. The opening ceremony was phenomenal - from the minute we got into the stadium, with the music and the cheering of the crowd, it was absolutely deafening. I haven't stopped grinning since.'
Mel adds, 'Competing in front of family of friends has been amazing. It's added another element to have them in the crowd watching me shoot. There was a certain amount of apprehension knowing that 3,500 people were watching and I must admit it did make me nervous. But in the end I just thought, let's enjoy it.'
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