DEFENDING double champion Maria Lyle would be “over the moon” to finish on the podium once again at the World Para Athletics Championships.

The competition gets under way on Saturday and the sprinter is competing in both the T35 100m and 200m in Paris.

Lyle won both events in Dubai in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic struck and saw the 2021 event sidelined.

Since glory in Dubai, the county athlete has undergone an operation on her foot.

Now, she is gearing up to defend her titles – 12 months before the Paralympic Games get under way in the French Capital.

She said: “I’m looking forward to it.

“I was injured all last year so preparations are a bit different.

“It has just been recovering from that, which took a lot longer than I expected and dealing with that.

“But, I’ve got some races and I am looking forward to it.

“It will be a tough competition as it always will be, especially one year from the Paralympic Games.

“That tends to be when they are most competitive.

“It will be exciting going to France and being with the team but it will not be easy.

“I’m hoping to get a medal but [I want to] just enjoy myself and hopefully put in a performance that I am proud of and see what results from that.

“I cannot really control what other people do and I would be over the moon with getting a medal.

“What will be will be and I am looking forward to enjoying getting back to competing again.”

The World Para Athletics Championships attracts some of the best athletes from across the globe.

In Dubai four years ago, Lyle finished ahead of Italy’s Oxana Corso in the 100m and Poland’s Jagoda Kibil in the 200m.

The gold medal winner, of Dunbar, told Courier Sport that she found she did best when she “downplayed” the significance of the situation.

The 23-year-old, who has spastic diplegic cerebral palsy, has previously spoken about how the pressures of competing on the international stage impacted her mental health.

Now, she tries to stay more relaxed before the events.

Lyle spoke to Courier Sport last Thursday from her training base in Loughborough.

She said: “I find I deal with stuff best when I downplay the situation.

“It is the 100m and I run that in training so it does not matter where I am running – it is the same distance.

“It might not work for everyone, some are very much focused on they are there to beat this person but for me it does not work.

“I try to stay quite laid back.”

Lyle’s competition begins with the 200m on Monday before the final takes place the following day.

On the final day of the competition next Monday (July 17), Lyle will compete in the 100m.