A brain tumour at 13 affected her vision. Now, she's a Paralympic javelin thrower

Ashlyn Renneberg has only been training in javelin for a few years, but she's already smashed expectations and a Canadian record on her way to qualifying for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

"It means the absolute world," the 19-year-old from Saskatoon said, reflecting on a wild season that's taking her to her first Games.

"It was truly probably the best moment of my life when I woke up and they were like, 'Hey, pack your bags, get a coffee, get some breakfast. You're going to Paris.' I was like, 'Holy, yeah, it's happening!'"

It's not a moment she said she would have ever expected when she was 13 and diagnosed with a brain tumour that led to vision loss. At that point, she wondered what sports she might be able to do with her more limited depth perception. 

After a second surgery to deal with her brain tumour, she came across the sport of javelin, which involves a combination of running and throwing. 

"I just feel so free on the track, and it makes me feel happy when I'm here and just doing the event itself."

The biggest challenge in terms of her visual limitation tends to be assessing where the starting line is, with Renneberg having to count the steps to ensure she's not far short of the line or beyond it. 

"We're moving really fast. We're also trying to hold the stick in your hand and throw it in the air. It's just a lot to remember," she said.

Up until last year, Renneberg felt she was still struggling with her training, but this year, she's seen huge strides in her technique. Those gains made themselves felt at a June Grand Prix event in Switzerland. 

She'd been coached to try to improve her personal best by a metre or two, but when she made her throw, she ended up hitting a 31.48-metre distance, good enough to set a Canadian record.

That moment blew past the expectations for her to that point, according to Saskatoon Track and Field Club coach Tyrell Sawatzky.   

"Nobody was really expecting her to make it this far this year. It's been quite the whirlwind of the season," said Sawatzky.

However, he said the club saw potential in Renneberg, with her build fit for the sport and her mindset focused on success. 

"She's very driven. She knows what she wants," said Sawatzky, noting the top athletes in javelin are in their 40s.

"So she has a very long career ahead of her if she chooses to continue pursuing this, which [it] very much seems like she will."

This Paris Paralympics will be a building block toward the next Games, with both Renneberg and her coach seeing the 2024 event as a major opportunity for the athlete. 

"[It's] a huge step for me just to be there, and if I get a medal, that's great. If I don't, I'm still happy that I even got … to be on the team, and experience the atmosphere and what it's like to be in that big of an international competition."

The 2024 Paralympic Games begin on Aug. 28 and continue until Sept. 8.

• See more coverage of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games here