A RISING athletics star needs your support to help realise his dream of representing his country.
Eighteen-year-old Zac Shaw, who is visually impaired, only started training regularly last November, but is already showing that he could have what it takes to compete in the 2016 Paralympics.
Shaw, who is studying at the Grimsby Institute, is now regularly posting times in the 100 and 200 metres that, based on last year's rankings, would put him just outside the qualification criteria for Team GB.
Currently, Shaw is ranked second in the UK for both the 100m, 200m and long jump.
Speaking to the Telegraph, the Cleethorpes AC member says he is confident that he can reach the standard required, but as a relatively new athlete, he desperately needs the support of a local sponsor to help him reach that goal.
Explaining his impairment, he said: "I have Stargardt Disease, and while my peripheral vision is okay, in the middle, it is quite badly damaged.
"It's a very rare condition because both of your parents have to carry the gene and then you have a 50 per cent chance of getting the condition.
"I've got five older brothers and all of them have 20-20 vision, but it took me until 13 to get diagnosed and it rapidly got worse after that in a very short time.
"As an athlete, I'm in the middle T12 classification for impairment, with T11 being totally blind and T13 being for those athletes with the least impairment."
"I've always known that I had ability when it comes to athletics, but I don't think I had the maturity to take it seriously and train properly and so in November last year, I decided to go for it and start training with Clee AC.
"Two weeks after that, I went into my first competition and did quite well and so I thought 'I've got to go for this'.
"You've got to be in the top eight in the world to picked to be in the Team GB squad for the Paralympics in two years' time.
"Right now, based on my 100-metre time, when compared to last year's rankings, it would put me 12th, which isn't bad and I know I can make up the difference to break into that top eight – I totally believe I make it.
"But being relatively new to it, I'm not funded or sponsored so it is difficult," added Shaw, who is a member of the British Athletics Parallel Success Academy.
"I've already had to pull out of an event in Coventry because I can't afford the travel and accommodation costs, so not having a sponsor makes things really tough.
"I don't want to go around begging for sponsors, but it would help me massively with so many events coming up.
"I've recently been selected to represent the North East at the Sainsburys School Games in September in both the 100m and 200m and I'm feeling really excited and confident about that.
"Next year is the World Championships and if I could represent Great Britain there it really would be a dream come true – that is my next goal.
"If I can get there, who knows where it will take me?"
Can you help?
To sponsor Shaw, call 07825868442 or email the_zacster@hotmail.com.
