But is not the thought of competing in an elite field that has the Hunter Sports High student on edge. It is thinking about stepping out in front of a packed stadium in Rio.

At 16, the Charlestown teenager will be the second youngest athlete in the Australian Paralympic team and will hit the track on September 11.

She has mild cerebral palsy and will compete in the long jump and 4 x 100m relay for her classification.

“I’m trying not to think about it too much, just to keep the nerves away,” Cleaver said. 

“I have been watching the Olympics and watching the crowds mostly, just focusing on how the crowd makes it feel because that’s probably my most nervous part.”

Cleaver only took up athletics three years ago and never dreamed it would lead to a Paralympic appearance.

“I just went to my first para competition, which was a school event, and I actually came out with some really good results and it just spurred me on to keep going,” she said. “I never thought I would actually get anywhere; I thought school competitions would just be my best.

“Then I got a coach and I started making improvements and now I am going to the Paralympics.”

Last year she got her first taste of international competition when she competed at the world championships in Doha in October.

It was an experience she believes has helped her prepare for Rio.

“It wasn’t as nerve-racking as I thought it was going to be,” Cleaver said. “It was my first trip away without my family. Knowing I have people there to support me … and also being able to handle myself going into competition and around training, are major things that I learned and will take into Rio.”

Cleaver will compete in the long jump final before joining her Australian teammates in the sprint relay.

“I’m just hoping to get a PB [personal best performance] over there, and just the experience of going to a Paralympics,” she said.

She is joined in the track and field squad by fellow Hunter athletes Kurt Fearnley, Christie Dawes and Rheed McCracken.