PARALYMPIC sailor Hannah Stodel is hoping to take a leaf out of Weymouth gold medallist Sarah Ayton's book.

The 19-year-old is putting the finishing touches to her own medal campaign before flying out for the massive disabled sports event in Athens, and claimed the medal exploits of Weymouth and Portland's Olympic sailors had been a massive inspiration.

Elbow amputee Hannah, who moved to the borough earlier this year to train full-time at Portland's Sailing Academy, said: "I have been given some good advice by the medal winners which hopefully will come in very useful.

"Seeing their medals has been inspirational and has made me excited about going to Athens."

She is sailing on the three-person Sonar yacht and will be performing the same function in the boat as Ayton's podium-topping role in the Yngling keelboat.

Ayton, who lives in Old Castle Road, became the first Briton to win a gold medal at the Olympics with her colleagues Shirley Robertson and Sarah Webb.

Hannah said: "I work on the foredeck, which is just like Sarah's job, and will be calling tactics as well as controlling sails."

The Paralympics events, specially for disabled athletes, start on Friday, September 17.

It is almost as big as the Olympics Games, with more than 4,000 athletes competing 500 medals in 19 sports.

Britain has a long tradition of success at the event and at Sydney 2000 came second in the medal table behind Australia with 41 gold medals.

Hannah, who is the youngest member of the British Paralympic team, said she has high hopes of a podium finish herself this year after winning bronze at last year's world championships.

She has been based in Weymouth at the sailing academy with her team-mates John Robertson and Stephen Thomas.

She said: "We have been working flat out for 18 months, and are confident about our chances.

"We have been training at the academy and you cannot find a better place to prepare yourself - it is going to be an awesome place when it is finished."

Originally from Essex, Hannah has only had one full arm since she was born but said that did not stop her from learning to sail when she was just three.

She said: "During racing I wear a prosthetic arm which lets me control the ropes easily."