The Inspiration Of The Paralympics And 7/7

Martine Wright believes in fate and that some events in life are destined to happen. Her reason for this way of thinking began on July 6th, 2005.

Martine, along with many other British people, celebrated the news that London had been awarded the Olympic Games for 2012. Her enthusiasm must have been excessive as the next morning, 7/7, she overslept. This meant she had to get a later train to work.

A terrorist bomb exploded on the train and this tragically caused her to lose both legs.

She now talks, however, of coincidences and is hopeful that she may be chosen to represent Great Britain in the 2012 Paralympics, in the Sitting Volleyball event.

Martine told the Daily Mail: "There are so many coincidences. Take the two places I train at in London, for example. Roehampton University is across the road from Queen Mary's Hospital where I spent eight months learning to walk.

The other place is on Commercial Road in East London which is behind the Royal London hospital (where she had physio).

My first international (at Sitting Volleyball) was last year at the World Championships and we flew out on July 7. I chose the No 7 jersey."

She believes that her path may have been mapped out for her to do something similar to what she is now doing. In her own words: "If I get to London 2012 as a competitor I will feel as if I've gone full cycle. All I remember thinking when London won the bid was, 'how am I going to get tickets, I need to get tickets!'. Now, in a weird twist of fate I might be taking part."

Martine has a full life, she trains for 25 hours a week and is married with a two year son. As to why she chose Sitting Volleyball as 'her' Paralympic sport she said, "Sitting volleyball is one of the most inclusive sports you can play. You don't need a wheelchair, just a bum, a net and a ball."

Martine will have to wait until next year to find out if she is chosen for the Paralympics - fingers crossed for her.