When Tahlia decided to take up athletics seriously in 2006, there was more chaperoning. Her grandmother hired a private coach for her, and the parents ferried her around to national and international meets. Her family supported the teenager to rise through the ranks quickly and take home two silvers at the Far East and South Pacific Games in 2006 in Kuala Lumpur.

The 11th-grader now multi-tasked in schooling and athletics. She trains at least five times a week before the Paralympics. She also does swimming, depending on how full her week is.

"Juggling between the school and athletics is hard on a 16-year-old," Natalie said.

"You can tell that she can be very emotional and very irritable. That's when we know, and we just try to be there and support her," she said.

Sponsorships are also harder to get for the disabled athletes, compared with able-bodied ones.

Tahlia received 9,000 Australian dollars for 2008 from a sponsorship through NASCA (National Aboriginal Sports Corporation Australia), but she has to reapply if she wants to continue with her training.

Natalie said she had reason to be optimistic about Tahlia's future, because the Australian government has started to pump in money to fund different schemes for athletes with disabilities.

"She is only 16, and she's got a lot ahead of her. She is already talking about London in 2012," Natalie said.

When Tahlia returns home, she will enjoy two weeks holiday and allow her Paralympic moments to sink in. "She is certainly an inspiration in her own community, and her younger sister wants to be like her. She is a runner also," the mother said.

Tahlia will run her second race in 200 meters on Saturday, and her family will again be in the Bird's Nest to cheer her on.

(Xinhua News Agency September 12, 2008)