Butterfield took up Para athletics in 2014 and has since won Paralympic, world and European titles.
Her first major international competition was the 2014 European Championships in Swansea, Great Britain, where she won club throw F32/51 gold (17.68m), a title she retained two years later in Grosseto, Italy, with a world record throw of 22.75m.
At her first World Championships in 2015 she won two medals. She claimed gold in the club throw F51 (21.44m) and bronze in the discus F52 (8.96m).
She was crowned Paralympic club throw F51 champion at Rio 2016 after extending her own world record to 22.81m. She also finished fifth in the discus F52 (9.40m).
Whilst serving as a civil servant in the British Army in 2012, doctors found a tumour on her spinal cord. Despite being told there was only a 0.01 per cent chance of paralysis following surgery to remove it, she woke up from the operation unable to move her body from the chest down. She spent six months in rehabilitation.
In March 2016 she became a board member of Scottish Athletics.
Results
| Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Club Throw F51 | Final 1 | 2015-10-24 | 1 | |
| Women's Discus Throw F52 | Final 1 | 2015-10-27 | 3 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Club Throw F51 | Final Round | 2016-09-11 | 1 | |
| Women's Discus Throw F52 | Final Round | 2016-09-14 | 5 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Club Throw F51 | Final 1 | 2017-07-14 | 4 | |
| Women's Discus Throw F52 | Final 1 | 2017-07-15 | 9999 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Club Throw F51 | Final 1 | 2019-11-11 | 2 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Club Throw F51 | Final | 2021-09-03 | 4 |