Jessica Lewis looks to be approaching peak form ahead of the upcoming World Para Athletics Championships after an impressive performance in the Nottwil Grand Prix in Switzerland this week.

Continuing her quest to qualify for a fourth Paralympic Games, the 30-year-old wheelchair racer first competed in two events in the domestic Swiss Championships, using the races to gain experience as she continues to work on adjustments to her custom-made racing chair.

While she endured mixed results at those two meets, the equipment tweaks paid dividends in the grand-prix meet at the Swiss Stacherholz stadium, with Lewis securing three successive top-five finishes.

Her standout result came in the T53 women’s 200 metres, in which she finished second. She then finished fifth in the T53 400 before rounding out the event with a season-best time of 16.52sec when fourth in the T53 100.

Lewis is at the start of a crucial few months with the World Championships in July, in which a top-four finish would guarantee a spot at the Paralympic Games, also in Paris, next summer.

With the Parapan Am Games in Santiago, Chile, in November, also on the horizon, Lewis was delighted that she appears to be improving at the right time.

“The races in Switzerland are always a great atmosphere to be a part of, with fast tracks and lots of great competition,” she said.

“I had some up-and-down performances in the first two domestic events while I was testing out a different push-rim size. However, I’m glad we did that so I could compare in a race setting and find the rim that works best.

“The last competition, the grand prix, I felt more like myself and produced second, fourth and fifth-place finishes with some season-best times.

“Overall I’m happy with how I raced in the grand prix. I felt like I was more in a rhythm compared to the first two competitions.

“Every race I did was faster than the previous at that distance so I was really thrilled with that. Ending with a season’s best and personal best in the 100 metres was a great finish.

“It was a great boost to end on a good note, but now it’s time to hunker down in training with a little more than five weeks until World Championships.”