According to the Australian Paralympic Committee, Australia is preparing to send its largest overseas Paralympic team to the London 2012 Paralympic Games, with just over 300 athletes and officials.

Two athletes selected for the team, Hamish MacDonald and Richard Nicholson, both happen to work at the Australian Sports Commission (ASC). Like the vast majority of Paralympic and Olympic athletes, they face the weekly challenge of trying to fit in work, family and training commitments.

MacDonald’s sporting career, which dates back to the Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games, is highlighted with an incredible range of achievements including breaking his own world record in the seated shot put in 2002. In 1994, he accepted an Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Athletes with a Disability residential scholarship in Canberra, which he held until 2009.

For MacDonald, who is attending his sixth games, the ongoing juggle of commitments comes down to geography as his family, work and training commitments are all based in Canberra.

'My decision to come to Canberra contributed to my ability to compete for so long,' said MacDonald. 'I’ve got a solid training place and minimal travel time as I train and work at the Australian Sports Commission.'

While he is currently working and training in Canberra, he’ll be based in the United Kingdom from 9 August to the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games on 9 September. Over the course of his decade-long international sporting career he’s witnessed enormous changes to the Paralympic Games.

'Paralympic sport is becoming a higher priority for more countries throughout the world, so the overall standard of performance has increased exponentially over the last 6 to 10 years,' he said. 'When I began competing, it was uncommon for people to throw (shotput) over 10 metres, now it’s uncommon for people to throw under 10 metres.'

Despite the increased competition, his priority for London 2012 is to beat his own personal best.

'I want to be as competitive as possible and hopefully finish in the top few,' he said. 'I still believe I’m capable of throwing a long way.'

Located in the same building at the ASC is fellow Paralympian Richard Nicholson. Preparing for his fifth games, this all-round athlete learned archery before competing in powerlifting then moving on to track and road in 2002. Despite having competed at four Paralympic Games, the experience remains an exciting one for him.

'Of course, they’re all completely unique,' says Nicholson. 'The atmosphere, the ceremonies, the competition – even if you’re competing against the same athletes, the conditions are always different.'

Considering the amount of time he spends training outdoors, Canberra can become an impractical location this time of year.

'It gets to minus five degrees here quite regularly, so you can’t train fast for long periods,' he says.

For this reason, his games preparation has involved training and competition in warmer climates. In May he competed in Switzerland at both the Swiss Nationals and the Daniela Jutzeler Memorial competition in the 100 metre (T54) wheelchair race,– which ranked him in the top eight internationally. He then participated in the Gold Coast Marathon, finishing first in the wheelchair marathon with a time of 1:45:04.

He intends to make the final of the 400 metre race in London and beat his personal best of 48.2 seconds.

'As long as I perform at my best, I can’t be unhappy with that,' said Nicholson. 'If I compete at my best, and it’s good enough, it will be a medal.'

Despite the ongoing challenge of managing training with work commitments, MacDonald notes the benefits of working for an understanding employer.

'The flexibility that the managers and directors provide allows me to complete my work requirements and maintain my training schedule,’ he says. ‘I feel very lucky and would like to thank everyone at the ASC for their support.’