TEENAGE swimmer Rosie Bancroft is the star of a photograph shortlisted for a major award.
The 14-year-old, who is hoping for glory at the 2012 Paralympic Games, was pictured by Paul Floyd Blake in a swimming pool changing room after a swim.
The portrait is one of four images competing for the £12,000 Taylor Wessing Photographic Prize.
Rosie, of Blenheim Road, Horspath, is a member of City of Oxford Swimming Club and trains up to seven times a week at Oxford High School and Temple Cowley pools. She was born with her right leg missing below the knee.
Her father John Bancroft, a retired psychiatrist, said: “It’s quite an interesting photo. It’s a bit different to the usual smiley ones we normally get.”
Rosie, a Wheatley Park School pupil, was named South East Regional sportsperson of the year at the Nationwide Disability Sports awards in 2007.
She said: “It’s pretty exciting and I’m really happy for Paul as he’s a great photographer and I really hope he wins it.
“It’s quite a serious picture. It took a while to get the right one, because I kept smiling.”
Mr Bancroft said: “I looked at some of the other photos they have done, some of them are a little bit scary – they’re not just looking for nice pictures, they’re looking for interesting photos and I think this one comes into that category.
“She swims like a fish – it’s great for her to have something physical that she can do well.
“She didn’t start swimming competitively until we came back from the US about five years ago. It gives her a real sense of achievement.”
Mr Blake, 47, said: “The image was taken mom-ents after she had beaten her personal best and captures her gentleness, alongside her confidence and determination.”
The winning photo will be announced on November 3 and will be among 60 pictures going on display at London’s National Portrait Gallery between November 5 and February 14 next year.
eallen@oxfordmail.co.uk
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