Former British cyclist, Hannah Dines’s Paralympic dream ended quite briefly after she couldn’t make it to the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021. Nevertheless, displaying true sportsmanship, Dines was hardly disheartened. Even though it affected her to some extent, she immediately opened herself to greater experiences by participating in a whole new sport domain, that is, surfing. 

Hailing from the snowy nation, she found little exposure to the sport there. She moved cities, and struggled with basic amenities, yet prevailed gloriously within the community, per a report by Glasgow World. She eventually competed in pro events and pushed the boundaries of the sport for the para-athletic standards. 

Hannah Dines’ giant leap of faith 

Oon 16th March, the 29-year-old athlete wasn’t selected for the 2021 Paralympics team, unlike the 2016 Rio event. Thus, while on her quest to utilize her potential athleticism, she was introduced to surfing. “I was like I need to do something else that will use my fitness and take my mind off the disappointment of not achieving the ultimate goal,” Dines revealed to Glasgow World.

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She added, “I was really fit as I’d been training up until Tokyo hoping I’d make it.” Hence, the Glasgow native traveled to Wales in search of the only full-time special surf team in the world, Surfability. “I phoned them up and they invited me to have a go on a surfboard. I loved it so much, but there wasn’t much accommodation,” the athlete recalled. 

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Furthermore, Dines slept in her car for two months whilst practicing the sport. She claimed, “It was just the best experience ever for around two months, and I realized that it was really something.” Within no time, Dines found herself competing in pro championships. She participated in the Ostend World Cup that year and grabbed silver. That was not it, she even went to the World Championships where she was placed fourth. 

Hannah Dines charts the road to adaptive surfing

Encouraged by her win at the world event, the former cyclist decided to pursue surfing throughout. However, the sport has not been incorporated into the Paralympics event, yet. Dines aspires to make it happen soon. She listed out her goals, her foremost one being to represent her nation, since only a meager percentage of participation is witnessed from the region. 

Her second goal is an essential step for para-athletes. “Another goal is for adaptive surfing. We have to adapt our surfboards to whatever shape or size and ability we have,” Dines stated. Even though the whole idea is still young, it is not long until we observe para-athletes surfing their way to glory. Likewise, para-surfer, Victoria Feige looks to share a similar message for the future of the sport. 

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Hannah Dines resisted having her special abilities hinder her ambition, to pursue one of the most extreme sports in the world. Regardless, she balanced through the waves of hurdles and emerged as one of the most prospective para-athletes in the domain. If possible, for which sport would you take a chance? Tell us in the comments.