My name is Amy Truesdale and I was born with my left hand missing.
Even though I have had to overcome adversity and lots of obstacles this has not prevented me excelling in life
My parents thought it was a good idea to get me involved in sports when I was younger as they wanted me to keep fit and be included just like everybody else.
At the time I was doing ballet dancing top dancing swimming and tae kwon do. All of the sports with becoming very demanding as I was doing something every single day so it got to the stage where my parents asked me to pick one sport I would like to put all my focus and energy into and that was tae kwon do
I was with a Taekwondo association called the TAGB for over 20 years and competed against able-bodied athletes are in the international level.
I became ladies world champion in the black belt division multiple times along with international fighter of the year and best in black belt gradings.
“I became ladies world champion in the black belt division multiple times along with international fighter of the year and best in black belt gradings.”
After being with this association for over 20 years I had one every title possible so I went to seek another adventure and joint Olympic style tae kwon do
Again I was fighting against able-bodied athletes and was producing some medals.
It wasn’t until 2009 where tae kwon do announced they were having a special games
I had never really been labelled as disabled by many people so this labelling didn’t sit well with me to start with
However I attended the competition as I saw it as an opportunity to compete against athletes with the same disabilities myself and I have continued to do so.
I was with a Taekwondo association called the TAGB for over 20 years and competed against able-bodied athletes are in the international level.
I became ladies world champion in the black belt division multiple times along with international fighter of the year and best in black belt gradings.
Due to my consistent medal success within Para tae kwon do I no longer have to work in the jobs I was doing and I no longer have to fund competitions myself.I have secured funding and we have gone from nothing to a world-class training program with other athletes on board aswell. I achieved a bronze medal at the Tokyo Paralympic Games and I have qualified for my 2nd paralympic games in Paris.
Good luck to Amy in Paris. The Paralympic Games start on the 28th of August.
Follow Amy on insta @truesdaleamy
HG x