Ben Tudhope
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Ameera Lee narrowly missed selection for the Australian Paralympic Team for Tokyo 2020.
But, buoyed by the support of her son Huthaifa and her determination to defy the limitations of living with multiple sclerosis, she rebounded to become the women’s National Para archery champion, secure Australia a quota spot for Paris 2024 and make her Paralympic debut.
Lee’s experience in Para archery started when she took her son to the range but fell in love with the sport herself. Huthaifa has encouraged his mum to continue despite the obstacles, which include her motor skills being severely impacted by heat.
“As a single parent, working full-time and managing my MS, I’d kind of given up on myself,” Lee said.
“It sounds negative, but I thought ‘This is what I’ve got, so I’m just going to focus on my child’. I’d forgotten about myself as an individual.
“But, when we tried archery, I just loved the feeling of being out in the open and feeling motivated to do something I found I enjoyed.”
Lee has found ways to restrict the impact of her MS on her pursuit of excellence in Para archery.
“I’ve learned to manage how my body reacts and how to calm my nervous system,” she said.
“You find ways to work around to be your best performance.
“I’m a type of person where if there’s a problem I go, ‘Let’s find a solution, and we can think about the emotion later’.
“That’s the same thing with (archery) shooting and everything I do; if there’s an issue, a problem, I find a solution rationally and logically and worry about the emotion side of things later.”
It has been about discipline, courage, rebuilding and continuing to move forward through challenge.
This approach has served Lee well. Beyond sport, she advocates for mental health and resilience, including playing a leading role in Paralympics Australia’s Imagine Education Program, where she presents to schoolchildren about Para sport, the Paralympic Games and living with disability.
Lee is a single mother who works professionally while inspiring people to pursue their goals with determination and optimism. She said her experience representing Australia at Paris 2024 strengthened her commitment to competing at the highest level.
“It has been about discipline, courage, rebuilding and continuing to move forward through challenge,” she said.
In Lee’s corner as Lee continues to defy limits and make the Australian Paralympic Team for LA28 will be Huthaifa, who remains his mum’s No.1 fan.
“Sometimes I want to have a day off archery and he’d say, ‘No, mum, it’s important to keep doing what you’re doing’,” Lee said.
“I thought ‘Wow!’ I hadn’t realised the impact it was having on him and how proud he was of me.”
