18-year-old Charlotte Bolton was the youngest member of Team Canada's track and field team at the Tokyo Paralympics and she says it was the experience of a lifetime.
TILLSONBURG - "It was the best experience I've had in my lifetime, I had so much fun."
That's how Tillsonburg's Charlotte Bolton described her experience at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.
At 18, Bolton was the youngest member on Team Canada's track and field team. Bolton wasn't supposed to make the team this year, the plan was always for her to compete at the 2024 games in Paris. She says the extra year off gave her more time to train and she used that to her advantage.
"I started training with the National coach Richard Parkinson four days a week in Toronto. My parents are crazy, they would drive me 2 hours each way to go train. It really helped me though, I put more time in the weight room and I improved my shot put throws by 2 metres."
She is going to enjoy a much deserved month off as she gets ready to attend University in a couple of days and then Bolton will get back at it with eyes on competing in 2024 in Paris.
Bolton says it was a surreal experience, the first time she walked out on the big stage.
"It really hits you, when you are doing the introductions and you walk in from the side of the stadium and their is a camera right in front of you, and then back behind it, it is opening up to this gigantic stadium, it felt even bigger I think because it was so empty."
Bolton says the cardboard beds were actually more comfortable then she thought they would be, but she was really happy to get back home after the trip of a lifetime. You can listen to the full interview and her experience in Japan below:
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