Mum backs Olympian daughter after Paralympic heartbreak

Emma Reid, 29, is competing at the Paris Olympics, backed by her proud mother Lesley

A judo player who was told she could not compete at the 2012 Paralympics due to a change in rules said she was proud her daughter would take her place in Paris.

Emma Reid, 29, will be the first Olympian to come from Melbourn Judo Club in Royston, Hertfordshire.

In 2011, her mother Lesley Reid, who is visually impaired, was told she did not classify to take part in London 2012 despite having trained for the event.

Despite her disappointment, 12 years on she said she could not wait to see her daughter compete, saying it was "Emma's dream".

Lesley Reid started realising her daughter's strength when she was just a child

"I just think she's worked so hard for it," she said.

"She's not come from the top clubs in the country, she's come from a little club environment. There's not many people who would come out of such humble beginnings."

Lesley began losing her eyesight in 2004 and was forced to stop driving. She joined the GB setup in early 2010.

She won a world championship bronze, but new tests a year later ruled she was ineligible to compete at the European Championships and she missed out on Paralympic glory.

Her daughter, however, is now on the quest for gold, having also won a bronze medal at the world championships in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking about her forthcoming Olympic challenge, She said: "It's given me so much confidence I can perform under high pressure and on a big stage, so yeah, I'm going for gold."

'You're too strong'

The younger athlete praised her mum for her support.

"She's just been someone who understands it all and I'm able to talk to about the troubles, the highs and lows, and everything," she said.

"We used to fight from when I was 10 years old, almost. She's suddenly saying, 'I can't handle it any more, you've gotten too strong.'"

Lesley has secured tickets and accommodation for Paris and will head to the French capital alongside other family and friends.

"We're going to be quite a big crowd there, which is really exciting," she said.

Iain Reid hoped his daughter's success would bring new people to try judo

Judo runs in the family, with Emma's father Iain Reid also an instructor at Melbourn Judo Club.

He was hopeful his daughter's success would attract new people to the sport.

"That was not [our] ambition, to create an Olympic champion, she was doing sport and enjoying it - it was a natural progression to be honest," he said.

"All we're happy about is she's going to the Olympic Games. She can call herself an Olympian - that's it as far as we're concerned, anything else is extra."