WYRE Forest Swimming Club's Claire Cashmore will be going for gold when she represents Great Britain in her first ever Paralympics Games this weekend.

The 16-year-old swimmer arrived in Athens in positive mood on Tuesday after an intensive two-week training camp in Cyprus.

Cashmore will compete in seven events in the Greek capital with her best chances of a medal coming in the backstroke.

The former Chaddesley Corbett First School and Hagley RC School pupil will be roared on by her family during the games.

Her proud mother Tina said: "She will be going for gold but she is obviously very young and in fact she's the youngest female member of the team.

"She's never been involved in a competition as big as this before so there is a danger she could be overawed.

"But it's fantastic experience for her just to get there and anything else will be a bonus.

Cashmore, who has her left arm foreshortened at the elbow, competes in the S9 disability category.

In backstroke, she holds the European and World short course 50m, the European long course 50m and the British longcourse 100m records.

Cashmore, who trains for around 20 hours per week, has also been the junior British champion for three years running.

Earlier this year she won eight gold medals in the DSE junior championships and clinched one gold and four bronzes at the Paralympic trials in May.

CLAIRE'S CALENDAR

Sep 17 - Opening Ceremony

Sep 19 - 100m butterfly

Sep 20 - 100m freestyle

Sep 22 - 4 x 100m freestyle relay

Sep 23 - 200m IM

Sep 25 - 100m backstroke

Sep 26 - 50m freestyle

Sep 27 - 4 x 100m medley relay.

Meanwhile, Cashmore's able-bodied Wyre Forest club mate Amy Smith also has an exciting weekend ahead of her as she takes part in a British Swimming training camp.

The 17-year-old from Kidderminster is off to Montelimar in France for the national sprint get-together on Sunday. Currently Smith holds the county records in 50, 100, 200 and 1500m freestyle, 50m butterfly and 50m backstroke.

As well as taking the "Top Girl" award in the Worcester County Championships, this year she won the 50, 100 and 200 metres freestyle events in the Midland District competition, being the fastest over all competitors in the 50 and 100.

In the ASA National Championships, she took first place in the 50m freestyle and was third in the 100m.

Her first British call-up was last September, where she was selected for a sprint training camp in Swansea.There she swam with top British sprinters and was coached by American Bill Pilczuk.

The former Franche First and Middle School and Wolverley High School student also competed in the Olympic trials in April this year.