SHANNICE Dodd may have been born with the rare brain malformation, Schizencephaly; she may have cerebral palsy, epilepsy and be unable to speak, but none of this has stopped the 13-year-old Thornlands resident from running into the national athletics record books.
After breaking the Queensland 12-years girls 100 metre and 200 metre sprint records for a T35 Athlete with a Disability (AWD) at the Australian Primary Schools National Track and Field Championships in Launceston last year, the Coolnwynpin State School student returned home and continued training.
(The T35 category indicates Shannice's disability affects her upper and lower body.)
Dedicated training sessions at school, which included morning and lunch time runs around the oval, with her peers running beside her to help her learn to stay in her lane, paid off and, at the Queensland Secondary Schools Athletics Championships at Nathan in October, Shannice broke the national 13-years girls 100 metre sprint record for a T35 AWD with a time of 24.25 seconds.
Proud mum Kristen Dodd said Shannice loved to run and the past two years had been a chapter in her daughter's life she had "never dreamed possible".
"It's hard to put into words how proud I am of Shannice," Kristen said.
"She's exceeded everything we were told she could achieve and to see her enjoyment on the track is a wonderful feeling."
Shannice joined Little Athletics this year and is now competing at the Pacific School Games in Canberra, where there are competitors from more than 20 countries.