A FALL in America has devastated Portland’s Megan Pascoe’s dream of gold at the 2012 Games.

The 25-year-old, who was tipped to represent Great Britain at the home Paralympics, is taking an enforced break from solo Sailing after suffering a seizure caused by a fall.

It was the first time it has happened to Megan, of Fortuneswell, who now feels ‘completely fine’ but is under doctor’s orders not to drive a car for up to six months.

More ‘frustratingly’, the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), the national governing body for sailing, has ruled that she should not sail single-handed during this time.

Over the past 18 months, Megan has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the International 2.4-metre keelboat, one of the three Paralympic classes, which will be competing on borough waters this summer.

She won her first World Championship medal in July 2010 and further successes included silver at the 2.4 Nationals in Rutland, silver at the Delta Lloyd World Cup regatta in Holland, eighth place and best British boat at the Sail for Gold 2011 in Weymouth and Portland.

Megan said: “Basically when I was out in Florida sailing in early December, I fell over and that caused a seizure.

“I can’t remember anything about it, I think it was more scary for everybody else. I had concussion and it took two days to feel normal-ish and three days before I was back on the water.

“I carried on and came fourth at the pre-worlds at Charlotte Harbour Yacht Club, which was really good considering I was still feeling pretty rubbish.”

On December 17, a neurologist told Megan she should not to drive for up to six months.

The RYA then decided that as ‘a duty of care’ she should not sail single-handed during this time.

Megan hopes a second neurologist appointment today will clarify the timescale but said the ban has scuppered her chances of 2012 selection.

She said: “It’s annoying because I was pretty sure I was going to get that one.

“If I had broken my leg I could understand it, but I feel absolutely fine right now, I can still do things.

“2011 was a pretty amazing year for me.

“I’ve put a lot of time into the 2.4. I’ve been sailing the boat for 10 years and I love it.” After a ‘bad few days’ over Christ-mas, Megan is now looking positively towards 2012.

She praised Weymouth Sailing Club members for rallying around, offering her opportunities to crew at the Melges 24 Worlds and Merlin Rocket events.

Megan hopes to be back in a 2.4 by Sail for Gold in June and is looking forward to this September’s World Champion-ships in Italy and the Rio Games in 2016.

She will continue to train with her Skandia Team GBR teammates, further her own sailing skills and spend ‘a lot of time in the gym.’ She added: “The plan for the next few months is to try and help the guys in the Skud, the Sonar and 2.4 get a medal, which I’m sure they can. Then I’ll sit and watch the events. It should be an amazing couple of weeks in Weymouth and Portland.

“I’ve got to that stage where I really want to sail other things and this year is going to give me opportunities to do this.”

Brave Megan

MEGAN was born with cerebral palsy and has a loss of control down her right side.

She began sailing aged two and competed in the ‘able-bodied’ Optimist dinghy before switching to Paralympic sailing.

This week she returned to Florida to collect her 2.4mR boat, which was out there ready for the International Federation of Disabled Sailing (IFDS) World Championships in Port Charlotte.

Racing begins on January 9 but Megan is returning to the UK tomorrow as it would be ‘too hard’ to watch the event and not compete. Megan was up against her Skandia Team GBR teammate Helena Lucas in the campaign to represent Great Britain in the International 2.4m metre keelboat class.

Helena, 36, finished seventh at the Beijing Games and won bronze at the Paralympic test event. No selection has yet been made in the 2.4mR class for the London 2012 Games.