'Anything Can Happen!': Ex-Military Policewoman On Paralympic Medal Chances

An ex-military policewoman is aiming for medals at the Tokyo Paralympics which start this week.

Lesley Stewart, a former member of the Royal Military Police, will be competing at the shooting competitions in the Far East.

This is Stewart's Paralympic debut after an infection resulted in a transition from below-knee amputee to above-knee amputee meaning her chances of competing at the 2016 games were dashed.

"I actually ended up in hospital for just over a year," she explained. "The infection got so bad that it actually chewed right through my stump.

"The infection got so bad and started to affect my health and that's when we decided we can't go on like this."

It was decided she would need to have an above-knee amputation.

"I didn't expect it to be so hard transitioning from a below-knee amputee to an above-knee amputee.

"It totally changed the way I was living," she said. "The pain after the surgery was horrendous."

Stewart's physical problems started in 2004 when she pulled a muscle in her back during an eight-mile combat fitness test.

From there, she had to deal with contracting dystonia – a malfunction of the brain where signals can be sent to the arong part of her body.

This meant she had her left leg amputated at the knee as well as undergoing a life-threatening 'deep brain simulation' operation in 2009, which aims to block the pain signals.

It was during her rehab that Stewart was introduced to shooting as a sport and while the recent operation ended her hopes of appearing at the 2016 Games, Tokyo 2020 provided an opportunity to win a medal for the ex-Army shooter.

Watch: Who to watch from the military at the Paralympics.

She said: "My scores are up there I would say with the best. At the Paralympics, anything can happen!

"I'd definitely like to say that I've got the capability and the scores that I'm shooting to give myself a really good chance in Tokyo.”

While Stewart did receive plenty of shooting training during her time in the Army, she explained that it didn't help her on her sporting journey.

"When you get taught shooting in the Army, you are tense – it's in an aggressive manner," she said.

"You're running about and jumping all over the place whereas the shooting I'm doing, you've got to have your mind in the total opposite thoughts.

"You've got to be calm. You've got to be relaxed and you've got to lower your heart rate.

"It took me a little while to get used to because I used to hold on to my rifle so tight and I was always tense."

Stewart's Paralympic competitions begin on 30 August and former Royal Marine Phil Eaglesham is also competing in the sport in Tokyo.