EMOTIONAL Claire Cashmore confessed she will be a bag of nerves and in floods of tears over events in Tokyo - just not her own.

The 33-year-old from Redditch, Worcestershire has competed at the last four Paralympics in swimming, taking gold in Rio in the 4x100m medley relay, but will make her debut at the delayed Games as a paratriathlete later this summer.

Cashmore, who was born without a right forearm, will be nervously cheering on partner and fellow paratriathlete Dave Ellis before she makes her own bid for Paralympic glory.

“My partner has also been selected so that makes it slightly more special to both go together,” said Cashmore, who is one of over 1,000 athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme.

“We’ve had tough times in the past where one of us has been going and the other one hasn’t so it really has been special.

“He’s racing the day before me. Originally, I was racing day one and he was racing day two but now it has switched.

“Much to my annoyance because I am going to be so nervous for him that I am going to be wasting all my energy for my own race.

“It’s horrible - I hate watching somebody you care about and love because you can’t do anything, and you feel so out of control.

“When it’s yourself racing you don’t feel half as nervous. I never understood it when my parents said that.

“They would say ‘we get so nervous watching you’ and I'd respond ‘what are you talking about? You’ve not got to do anything, you’ve just got to cheer and sit there.’”

UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme allows Cashmore to train full-time, access the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering technology, science and medical support.

Cashmore will be hoping to add to the 864 Olympic and Paralympic medals won by Great Britain and Northern Ireland athletes since the advent of National Lottery funding in 1997.

She added: “I know I’m in a good place so it’s just taking that confidence and knowing I’m the best prepared I could possibly be on the start line.”

No one does more to support Olympic and Paralympic athletes than National Lottery players, who raise around £36 million each week for good causes.

For more information on the positive impact playing the National Lottery has on sport, head over to: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk and get involved on social media by using the hashtags: #TNLAthletes #MakeAmazingHappen. Good luck Claire and Dave!