. It was the year she was born, as well as that of SINGAPORE: 1984 is a special year for the Paralympic sport she’ll be representing Singapore in, at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

The ball-tossing game of Boccia from Greece was introduced 28 years ago as a Paralympic sport specifically designed for athletes with a disability affecting locomotor functions.

The aim of the game is to toss a collection of balls as close as possible to a white ball known as the jack.

Nurul qualified for the Paralympics last December, becoming the first para-athlete to represent Singapore in that sport.

Born with spinal muscular atrophy type 2 (SMA II), Nurul’s condition causes nerve cell loss in her spinal cord which in turn limits muscle movement.

So instead of tossing, players in Nurul’s BC3 category use assistive devices to launch the balls.

The para-athlete uses a head pointer to launch the ball from a ramp, after directing an assistant on the position of the ramp.

Nurul is ranked world number eight in her category, which includes those with cerebral palsy or other locomotor dysfunctions.

via Paralympics: Boccia player Nurul charts game and life with her mind – Channel NewsAsia.