Cardiff athlete, Tracey Hinton has an exemplary track record, an illustrious sporting CV and a collection of medals won over recent years.
But her 'eyes' are a 25 year-old schoolteacher from Carmarthen, Steffan Hughes, the guide runner for the 38 year-old athlete who has a sight impairment.
S4C followed Tracey and Steffan to Beijing for the 2008 Paralympics where Tracey competed in the famous Birds' Nest stadium, site of the 2008 Olympic Games in July and August.
The programme Law yn Llaw (Hand in Hand) tells the story of the partnership between Tracey and Steffan which began when Steffan noticed a poster at his college, UWIC in Cardiff with the appeal 'Wanted! Eyes for the Paralympic athlete Tracey Hilton – Are you up for the challenge?'
A student at the time, with football his biggest passion, Steffan was unsure initially about his ability to be Tracey's guide runner. That was seven years ago and by now the partnership has developed as an excellent model of teamwork.
Steffan gave up his promising career as a footballer with five amateur caps for Wales in order to support Tracey. "At one time, if someone had told me I'd give up playing football to be a guide runner for an athlete, I'd have laughed but as I started working with her she was such an inspiration, I put my ambitions aside."
In Beijing, Tracey competed in three races – the 100m, 200m and 400m.
"In the programme, we'll be following Steffan as he prepares for Beijing, seeing him train with Tracey and seeing him in his job as a schoolteacher," explains programme producer, Heulwen Humphreys, from Swansea-based TV company Teledu Telesgôp.
As Steffan has just started work at a new school, Ysgol Dewi Sant, Llanelli, Tracey was to have been accompanied by a new guide runner to Beijing. But when he was injured, she had to appeal to Steffan again.
"My only lifeline was Steffan – if I was to get to Beijing and do well he was my only hope," says Tracey.
"Steffan is the 'eyes' for me during a race so there's a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. He talks me through a race and tells me where I am on the track. It takes an awful lot of concentration on his part.
"Off the track, it's vital you get on because you spend so much time together. During the Paralympics we're together, day in day out, for four weeks. Spending that much time with someone you don't get on with would be a nightmare," says Tracey.
Normally, Tracey trains six days a week. As well as training on the track, she usually does about 40 miles' road running each week.
Tracey, one of 31 Welsh competitors selected by ParalympicsGB to go to Beijing, won three medals at the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney and set a new British record to win the 800m at the IBSA (International Blind Sports Association) European Championships in 2001. She won the 400m gold medal at the 2002 IPC (International Paralympic Committee) World Championships and the following year seized two gold medals over 400m and 800m at the IBSA World Championships in Quebec. She strengthened her chances of competing in Beijing after winning gold and two silvers at the IBSA World Games in Brazil in July 2007.
© 2010 S4C
O Gymru / Made in Wales