Australia's paralympic rookie Kate Doughty says qualifying for the Rio Games is an achievement nearly 20 years in the making but to compete in the debut sport of triathlon is another feeling altogether.
"It's a groundbreaking part of history - that's an honour in itself," she said.
The 33-year-old, who was born without her right hand, set a goal to make the Games while watching the Sydney 2000 equestrian events.
The Victorian rider competed at international level but missed out on a Paralympic berth in Beijing in 2008.
Doughty made the switch to para-triathlon in late 2014 after her mother's death spurred the ambition for a fresh start.
"It still was in the back of my mind that dream to go to a Paralympics, so I'm ecstatic that I made it in less than two years," she said.
Doughty isn't nervous to compete in Rio, which she puts down to a sense of unity within the Aussie team.
"I'm sure it will be a different story when I get to Copacabana on race day, but I know what I have to do, and it's just about executing what I know," she said.
She isn't alone in making her Paralympic debut, with more than half of the 177 Rio athletes representing Australia for the first time.
That number's in line with past Games, and chef de mission Kate McLoughlin says there's also valuable experience on the team, with some athletes going to their fifth, eighth, and even 12th Games.
The veterans will lend support to make sure the rookies don't get overwhelmed, she said.
"Between sports, within sports there's this great camaraderie, and whether they're old hats or newbies I think they'll be there to help each other out," McLoughlin said.
