Teenager who lost leg to flesh-eating disease to make Commonwealth Games debut
Ellie Bowen, who had her right leg amputated at 13 months due to necrotizing fasciitis, has become the youngest member of the Welsh athletics squad and will compete in seated shot put at the Commonwealth Games.
Ellie Bowen, from Caerphilly, Wales, was just 13 months old when she was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, a rare bacterial infection that destroys tissue. The infection led to the amputation of her right leg, but she survived. Now 17, Bowen has grown up not knowing any different and says losing her leg at such a young age made it feel normal to her. As she got older, she felt different, but sports showed her she could do anything anyone else could.
Her potential was spotted by Anthony Hughes MBE, performance director at Disability Sport Wales, who introduced her to wheelchair racing. Bowen quickly won medals in that, then found a passion for throwing events like shot put, discus, and javelin. After the Covid-19 pandemic, she returned to competition and was named best performer. She has now focused on seated shot put and will make her Commonwealth Games debut in Glasgow.
Bowen's parents, Anne and Martin, are incredibly proud. They nearly lost her as a baby, but she has thrived. Her father built a specially adapted bike so she could ride with her siblings, and later a campervan to travel to competitions. Bowen says winning a medal would mean the world to her, but just being at the Games is a dream come true. She hopes to make her parents proud when they cheer her on at Scotstoun Stadium.
