In her late 20s and when she had had a child, she turned to paraplegic sport with the aid of Edgecumbe coach Ray Gurren. In a remarkably short time, she became one of the leading paraplegic athletes in the world, excelling in the javelin, shot put and discus, but also competing with distinction in swimming and archery. Her haul of gold medals from various international events, including the Paralympics and the Commonwealth equivalent, was more than 30 and she also set numerous world records. Such was her domination of paraplegic sport that in 1972 she was runnerup for the New Zealand Sportsman of the Year title to the Olympic champion rowing eight. Return to the Inductee list