A FORMER Brampton secondary school student is set to compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. 

Anna Nicholson is representing Great Britain and Brampton's William Howard School at the latest edition of the Paralympic Games and she aims for glory in the F35 shot put event which takes place on Thursday, September 5.

The F35 classification is for athletes who have coordination impairments such as hypertonia, ataxia, and athetosis and includes athletes with cerebral palsy.

Anna started her senior shot put career at the end of 2019 when she competed at the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai, finishing fourth in the shot put on her world debut. 

Anna would go on to qualify for her first Paralympic Games in Tokyo, where she posted a sixth-place finish before just missing out on her first senior medal in fourth at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris.

Now Anna is going for glory in the shot put event at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.

However, it was at William Howard School where she was first introduced to field events by the school's former head of PE, Lenny Miller.

"I worked with Anna a little when she was at William Howard," said Tracey Croucher, learning support assistant at William Howard School.

"I took her to an inclusive athletics event at Penrith Leisure Centre and this was when her talent for throwing was first spotted. Lenny Miller, our former Head of PE, then did some training with her.

"Anna was a lovely student who worked hard and was very successful in her academic studies but was also very keen on sports.

"It is wonderful to see how well she is doing with the shot put and it is great to feel that as a school we played a small part in setting her on her way."

Anna, who also has a Master’s degree in chemical engineering and enjoys a career in the car production industry, is one of a number of Paralympic and Olympic success stories at William School. 

Former students Lauren Smith and Nick Miller have also represented Great Britain at the Olympics in badminton and the hammer throw respectively.

Tracey Hill, William Howard School's careers lead, said: "Anna is a fantastic role model for our current students by being the best that she can be, we will be watching her compete with pride.

"We are always delighted to hear of the achievements of our ex-students and many WHS alumni have excelled in various sporting careers, including Nick Miller in the hammer and Lauren Smith in badminton both who have represented their country at previous Olympic games."