When Sandy Freeman competed at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens in 2011 she was the youngest member of Team Australia.
Now, as the 20-year-old prepares for the National Games in Adelaide in 2018, the swimmer is practically a “veteran”.
“I first started swimming because it was the only sport my sister could do as she has cerebral palsy, and I discovered I liked it when I won my first medal,” she told Mamamia.
Winning medals is becoming second nature for the young athlete who loves racing against her friends, “especially the boys”.
In fact, she often races in the men’s division because of her ability.
“I don’t get nervous, I just like to swim,” she said.
Sandy Freeman loves racing the boys in the pool. Source: Supplied
Sandy was fostered, along with her sister Jenn, when she was four years old, by Carol and Norm Freeman who later formally adopted them both.
She began swimming at eight after being diagnosed with an intellectual disability in primary school, and trains with a mainstream swimming squad - it was her coach who first introduced her to the Special Olympics.
Special Olympics Australia supports more than 3000 athletes with an intellectual disability in 59 accredited programs across the country.
They cater for people of all ages at all levels of completion, tailoring their programs to help people with intellectual abilities reach their peak not just in sport but in life.
Sandy was adopted by the Freemans in 2006. Source: Supplied
More than 1,000 athletes will compete in Adelaide in 12 Olympics-style and demonstration sports, the culmination of a four-year training and competition cycle.
"Almost 600,000 Australians have an intellectual disability, representing the largest disability population in the country. Every two hours, another child is diagnosed in Australia," Special Olympics Australia CEO Corene Strauss said.
"Australia is a sporting nation in which everyone has the right to participate, to whatever capacity they choose or are capable of. This is what makes the National Games so unique, and an experience all can enjoy."
For the athletes like Sandy, it's a way to dispel misconceptions about intellectual disabilities and to prove to people what they're capable of, forging lifelong friendships along the way.
"Nearly all of my friends are through my swimming," Sandy said.
"It’s made me more confident in myself and feel like I am good at something. My swimming gives me a chance to show people that I am an athlete."
It's also an incredible way to see the world. In Los Angeles Sandy met the American swimming legend Michael Phelps - who she described as "really tall and really nice" - when he presented her with a medal. She won two gold and a bronze at the games.
Sandy with the "tall and nice" Michael Phelps in LA. Source: Supplied
When she's not in the pool Sandy loves Japanese anime and her two pet snakes, and recently completed a Cert II in Animal Care at TAFE, but has struggled to find work in her field because of her disability.
"I won't give up," the animal enthusiast said, and in the mean time has just landed her first job in the cafe at the pool where she's busily training for 2018.
The Freemans will be cheering her on from the poolside when she gets there.
"Since being involved with Special Olympics Australia, Sandy has blossomed and her confidence has grown enormously," her mum Carol said.
"She’s just always ready to take on the world."
The National Games will run from Monday 16 to Friday 20 April 2018 in Adelaide. Find out more through the Special Olympics website.