Chloe Tookey pushes her shoulders back, breathes in deeply and grasps the bar of the seated rowing machine.
She pulls it steadily towards her as her coach counts down the first reps of her gym session.
It’s a Wednesday morning, and the 18-year-old is in one of her twice weekly training sessions as part of The University of Queensland’s program.
Chloe is fresh from the Australian Athletics Championships in Adelaide, where she won gold in the U20 shotput and bronze in the women’s discus.
“I’m really competitive,” she warns, laughing.
“I like to set myself a goal and work towards it.”
UQ exercise physiologist and ParaSTART clinical lead, , nods emphatically behind her.
“Chloe is one of the most determined athletes I train,” Mrs Demetriou said.
“She gives it her all, whether we’re focusing on technique, endurance or strength and conditioning.
“We’re extremely proud of how far she’s come in the program.”
Chloe was 14 months old when she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
Her mother Lisa McLellan, an ICU nurse, recalls the paediatrician’s words that day.
“The doctor said if we do nothing, she’ll be nothing – she won’t be able to walk, talk or even feed herself,” she said.
“So, every day since then has been a fight.”
Sport has been a constant in the family, and Lisa set out to ensure Chloe had the same opportunities as her two sisters.
“It was my primary school PE teacher who introduced me to Para sport,” Chloe said.
“He told me I was just as capable as everyone else and there were sports that I could compete in.
“It made me realise I didn’t want to be restricted to what I could do.”
A 12-year-old Chloe signed up at her local athletics club and began learning how to throw a discus and shotput from her wheelchair.
When it was time for her first competition, Chloe needed the right equipment.
Custom throwing chairs, which can be tethered securely to the ground, cost thousands of dollars.
“My uncle built my first throwing chair,” she said.
“He’s really into construction and has a friend who owns a car yard, so it was made from an old bar stool with some extra padding, a metal pole and a car seatbelt.”
Chloe threw a PB from the stool, and was hooked.
She joined the ParaSTART program in 2021, and now trains around her university studies in primary education, medical and NDIS support worker appointments and hanging out with friends.
ParaSTART is the flagship program of ‘s 30-year research career.
“This isn’t traditional therapy or rehab – it’s performance sport for people with high support needs,” Professor Tweedy said.
“A lot of programs focus on getting people who have severe injuries or severe disabilities back to normal.
“But we’re striving for excellence, or at least providing the pathway to pursue it.”
ParaSTART began in 2017 with four swimmers but has since expanded to 17 participants and several track and field events.
“It’s run very much like any sports team, with sports-specific training sessions 2-3 times per week complemented by strength and conditioning work, diet and sleep,” Professor Tweedy said.
“We have expectations and standards, so if someone is underperforming compared to what we know they can do, the coach will tell them it’s not good enough and they need to go again.
“Enrolling in this program doesn’t mean you’re going to a Paralympic Games – you might not be good enough and you might not get selected and that’s how sport works for everybody.
“But it’s important to be able to have those dreams like anybody else.”
Professor Tweedy said access to sport for people with high support needs was severely lacking.
“Athletes with high support needs aren’t getting knocked out in the heats and the semis of Para sport competitions, they’re getting knocked out before they even get there,” he said.
“Participation in Para sport by people with high support needs is so low, and a lot of people don’t even get past the watching on TV stage.
“Our program is an avenue to success for this group of highly disadvantaged but remarkably motivated and resourceful group of people.
“Our staff have the expertise and training to work safely and effectively with them and provide them with the skills to participate.
“The physical, mental and social benefits of sport and exercise for people with high support needs are enormous.”
Professor Tweedy said people with severe impairments and high support needs should see others, just like themselves, competing at the highest level.
“There is truth to the adage that ‘if you can’t see it, you can’t be it’ and the value of having people with high needs competing at the games should not be underestimated,” he said.
“Images like that will be far reaching – it’s tremendously exciting.”
Back in the gym, Bridget Demetriou guides Chloe through her last set with pull-down weights.
“When people see someone with a disability – particularly a very severe disability – engaging in sport, they might think it’s just for fun or fitness,” Mrs Demetriou said.
“But ParaSTART breaks down those stereotypes.
“We’re coaches, not therapists, and our athletes want to be the very best they can be at sport, so we work toward performance-based goals.”
She said the benefits don’t just come from winning medals and state titles.
“Chloe’s social skills have improved ten-fold and she’s become more self-confident, which is so nice to see,” she said.
“The kids we work with don’t tend to have a lot of role models that have similar disabilities to them or that they can see themselves in, so Chloe’s very inspirational to those younger athletes too.”
Chloe’s face is a picture of concentration until she releases the bar and the weight lands with a soft clang.
She breaks into a wide smile.
Her ultimate goal is to compete at the Brisbane Paralympics in 2032.
“I think when you’re putting in the work, knowing where you want to be helps with motivation,” she said.
“I’m ambitious, but with continued training there’s no reason why I can’t get there.”
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