But having been identified as having a talent for rowing, she made the switch and the rest, as they say, is history.

The Warrnambool-raised Paralympian fell just 0.8 of a second short of a gold medal at her first Games back in 2008 at Beijing alongside John MacLean and finished fifth at London in 2012, partnering with Gavin Bellis.

Ross and Bellis have worked together ever since, and are now striving for a spot on the Australian team for the Rio de Janeiro, which will be announced on July 11.

The pair are in the box seat for selection, especially after claiming a silver medal at the World Cup 3 event held in Poland two weekends ago.

Ross said their first major competition since last year’s win at the world rowing championships in France gave them a good indication of how their preparations were coming along.

“It felt a bit rusty, but we were quite happy with how we went,” she said.

“It was a great competition and it’s exciting when it’s as close as that.

“There are some areas we found which we can improve dramatically.”

Ross, who turned 35 on Saturday, identified their mid-race rate as one area they will look at in the intensive training period that is to come before the Paralympics launch on September 7.

The two weeks prior to the Games will be important, with athletes making their way to Australia’s European Training Centre in Italy to acclimatise and get used to the time difference.

Ross said each visit to the world’s greatest sporting stage had offered something different.

There was the thrill of her silver on debut in the Beijing Games, while the fighting fifth at London came after significant injury woes six weeks out from the competition.

“From Beijing to London was extremely different,” Ross said.

“Getting a silver in Beijing and just missing out on gold … it’ll be good to be able to do one better than that.

“Hopefully we just produce the best race we can produce.”