IT is something of a surprise revelation from Amy Carr that her occasional training partner is someone almost 55 years her senior. The 18-year-old T37 long-jumper is one of the best para-athletes in the country and while she would be a match for any of her peers across the world, her 73 year-old granddad is, she reveals, becoming increasingly annoyed that he cannot defeat her in a sprint.

When Carr announced a few years ago that she wanted to give athletics a go, her granddad decided that, despite not having been involved in the sport since his school days, he would try his hand at it too. And as Carr began collecting medals, so too has he.

“He’s a bit of a mad granddad,” laughs the teenager. “He has done pretty well and it’s really nice that we have something in common and to do it together is great.

“He went through a point doing loads of events – he’s a sprinter now but he wanted to do hurdles at one point. I told him not to do that though, I thought it was too dangerous. But I think it is a really positive thing and he’s a huge inspiration to me.”

Just a few weeks ago, Carr, who has cerebral palsy, was selected in the 25 strong track-and-field team that will compete in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, which begin in Australia’s Gold Coast in less than three months. However, Carr’s granddad’s success has thrown a spanner in the works when it comes to the family travelling to Australia to cheer on the long-jumper.

“My mum and dad will be coming to Australia to support me,” the teenager said. “And I hope my granddad will be coming too but I think his European Championships potentially clash with the Commonwealth Games so he might have to miss it.”

Carr’s selection for Team Scotland just before Christmas capped off a spectacular year for the Teesside-based athlete, who qualifies to represent Scotland through her father. Last summer, she won an incredible hat-trick of medals at the IPC World Junior Championships, taking gold in both the long-jump and the 200m as well as bronze in the 100m. The Commonwealth Games will be her first senior championship and while that would be a daunting prospect for some, Carr is up for the challenge.

“At the minute, everything still feels a little bit crazy but I’ll be well prepared for the Games,” she said. “I had to work really hard to get into the seniors so to be selected for Team Scotland is just amazing. Moving into seniors it is going to be a really big change but I’m just going to take everything as it comes and just enjoy it.”

Disability sport has enjoyed a transformation in the past few years so Carr has timed her emergence to perfection, ensuring that she gets to ride this wave of popularity. However, when she was initially inspired to get into athletics, she could never have believed where her journey would take her. “It was the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics that inspired me,” she said. “Seeing other disabled athletes compete - that was a real turning point. I dreamt of competing with the athletes on television so now I’m here it’s crazy. It has been a crazy journey.”