15 June 2016
Paralympian Harriet Lee joined the team at Vision Express’ Arndale Centre store in Manchester to celebrate the news that she will be representing Great Britain in the 2016 Paralympic Games.
Ms Lee, 25, is an ambassador for the multiple that has supported her for the past two years. She is currently based in Manchester training with the British Swimming team, and with Rio just two months away, her gruelling schedule has increased.
The swimmer, who was born with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, hopes to replicate the success she had at the London 2012 Games where she won bronze in the 100 metres breaststroke, at the age of 21.
The road to success was not easy for the athlete as she spent four months in intensive care in the lead up to the Games. However, this time around she says she is in the best shape she can be and is feeling good about her chances of taking home a medal. She even reached a new personal best in the Paralympic qualifying stages.
“It’s been a tough couple of years, I always knew it would be hard to qualify but I’ve been working really hard and I’ve stayed on track so it was a massive relief to be selected,” said Ms Lee. “It just makes all of the sacrifice and hard work worth it.”
To celebrate being named part of the 2016 Great Britain squad, the swimmer was invited to the Manchester Arndale store to review Vision Express’ new Exclusive Brands collection and to pick some sunglasses to take with her to Rio. Her favourite frames were from the Heritage collection (pictured).
“My eyes are so sensitive to light that I need to wear really high protection sunglasses but I also want something stylish too,” she explained.
Since working with Vision Express, Ms Lee has been encouraging her friends and family to get regular eye tests and advises them to always check the UV rating on sunglasses.
Sam Greatbatch, assistant store manager at the Manchester Arndale Vision Express store, said: “It was really great to welcome Harriet in store and congratulate her on her recent success. It’s not every day that you get to meet a world-class paralympian.”
For an interview with the paralympian about eye care, don’t miss the August issue of OT.
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