Sheffield para-cycling star Amelia Cass says she wants to build on her successes of this year as she looks to establish herself as one of the country’s best.

The teenage rider has enjoyed one of her strongest seasons to date in 2015 with a fifth-place finish at the Newport International Youth Omnium and third at the national championships.

But Cass, who is a Jaguar Land Rover Academy of Sport athlete, knows she has plenty more to offer as she looks to make headway on the international circuit.

And she says that she hopes recent performances can help to propel herself to the top of her sport.

“At first I needed a lot of assistance from my dad and coaches with balance issues but now I’m training with British Cycling and racing in the cycling series,” she said.

“I think I have done well so far and I think my best achievements have come this year when I finished fifth in Newport and then also finished third in the national series."

“So the season has gone really well I think and those two performances have given me a lot of confidence that I can keep going strong."

“Hopefully that can help me build and I can compete in more international competitions on the back of this and travel abroad a lot more.”

As a Jaguar Land Rover Academy of Sport athlete Cass is given funding and has the opportunity to receive mentoring from some of the biggest names in sport.

She is in illustrious company with the likes of Olympic champion Jade Jones having come through the scheme and she believes it can help her make the next steps.

“The Jaguar Land Rover Academy of Sport really helps develop you as an athlete as a whole,” she added.

“It doesn’t just focus on one sport, you meet a lot of athletes from different sports and it focuses on nutrition, and how to prepare for races."

“The funding is obviously a big part of it as it helps me get to races and also helps me get to my day-to-day training."

“It’s really inspiring to meet the mentors and it gives you a taste of what they do and also something to aim for. It really helps you focus on what you’re doing.”

Amelia Cass attended the Jaguar Land Rover Academy of Sport workshop, mentored by ambassadors Lewis Moody and Maggie Alphonsi and SportsAid patrons Danny Crates, Bryan Steel and Kerri-Ann Payne. For more information visit sportsaid.org.uk