Pursuing a different sport mid-career and rising to the top 100 in its world rankings in less than a year would be a remarkable achievement for any athlete.
But to do so without the ability to hear takes it to a whole new level.
That drive to succeed against the odds saw Springwood native Melinda Vernon win the 2015 Deaf Sports Australia award for best female athlete last Saturday.
For the past decade Vernon, profoundly deaf in both ears, was a successful long distance runner with two Deaf Olympics gold medals to her name and first places in the women's Sydney Half-Marathon and City2Surf (both in 2009).
But early last year she made a bold switch to triathlon and after a promising start with a third place result in Devonport, Tasmania, she dived head first into the fiercely competitive European season.
Consistently strong results, plus a brilliant second place at the Geneva European Cup despite crashing early in the bike leg, helped her shoot up the world rankings from the 300s to 92nd.
Despite not being able to compete at the World Cup in Columbia last October due to an achilles injury, Vernon finished her debut season feeling more than happy about her year.
"I was very lucky when switching to triathlon because I was brought up swimming, so I already had that up my sleeve and I had good cardio fitness levels from running marathons to better cope with the long swimming distances in the sport," Vernon said.
"I found the technical components of cycling more challenging and that is still a work in progress, but I'm always looking to improve.
"Making the top 100 so quickly wasn't my goal, but it just happened and it's very encouraging.
"I have a great swimming coach in Darren Smith and now I'm based on the Gold Coast and training with Dan Atkins which is really making a difference."
Vernon said winning the Deaf Sports Australia female athlete of the year award for a second time (she also won it in 2009) feels extra special "because of my life background and I think it also shows that you can be successful in a different sport".
"I'd like to promote that deaf people can be equal to able-bodied athletes and have equal opportunities.
"I hope it inspires others that you can achieve anything if you are determined.
"I think being deaf pushed me into being more determined to be successful - I don't know why but I feel it has and it is part of who I am today.
"Don't let others look down on you because you are different."
Vernon said not being able to hear the crowd during competition can be a double-edged sword "because while you might have less distractions and can concentrate more, sometimes you feel it would be nice to be able to hear them".
"There can also be disadvantages at the start line of the swimming leg, depending on where you are and also not being able to listen to the tactical calls in the bike leg or hear warnings about upcoming hazards like pot holes.
"So you need to be extra vigilant."
Vernon said those obstacles may soon be a thing of the past because of technological advancements.
"I got my first cochlear implant when I was seven which made a huge difference to my life, but I've never been able to hear natural sounds.
"I've never been able to wear the implant in triathlon events because the sweat and water would damage it, but there is a new waterproof one being developed, so that will open a lot of doors for me.
"I'm still recovering from injury but I started jogging again two weeks ago, so I will be fine for the triathlon competitions in Asia this April and May and the European season begins in June."
Vernon is a member of the Cochlear Awareness Network and that organisation is one of her major sponsors, assisting her greatly when competing overseas.
"I'm hoping to be more actively involved in my role of trying to encourage youth and young adults who may have hearing loss to consider a cochlear implant and offering them advice on how it may help," she said.