Amy Truesdale

Started: She began taekwondo at age eight, and took up Para taekwondo in 2009. (paralympic.org, 31 Mar 2020) Reason: Her father wanted her and her sister to learn taekwondo for self-defence. She competed in non-Para taekwondo before learning about the inaugural Para taekwondo world championships in 2009. "I didn't know anything about Para taekwondo because I didn't class myself as disabled. It wasn't until 2009, when Para taekwondo did their first [world] championships, that I said, 'I've actually got one arm. This is the avenue I'm going to go down'." (paralympic.org, 31 Mar 2020; athletemedia.co.uk, 20 Nov 2018) Ambition: To win gold at the 2024 and 2028 Paralympic Games. (paralympic.org, 20 Jun 2024) Milestones: She became the second British taekwondo athlete to win a Paralympic medal when she claimed bronze in the women's +58kg category at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, a day after her compatriot Beth Munro won silver in the women's -58kg division. (SportsDeskOnline, 01 Jul 2024) Additional Info: OTHER ACTIVITIES In 2023 she was selected for the Powered by Purpose programme, a joint-initiative by UK Sport and The True Athlete Project that offers a platform for British athletes to inspire, facilitate and enable positive change. In 2019 she was named an ambassador for Broughton House, a charitable organisation that provides support and care for armed forces and merchant navy veterans in the north west of England. She has a number of relatives who have served in the British Armed Forces, including her father and grandfather. "Due to my family connections with the armed forces, it's a charity that is very close to my heart and I'm so pleased to become an ambassador for it." (LinkedIn profile, 08 Oct 2023; Facebook profile, 07 May 2020; bdaily.co.uk, 16 Sep 2019) PROMOTING PARA SPORT She is passionate about promoting Para taekwondo and Para sport in general. "I want to be the face of Para taekwondo, that's my drive to keep doing it. I want to inspire one person to take up a sport, even if it's not taekwondo. I just think it's very important to anyone with a disability, if you get somebody motivated to go and get a job or somebody motivated to join a sports club, and as long as it's inclusive, and everyone can be involved. That's my passion to promote it. If there are parents who have children with disabilities who encourage them into sports, it does show that even if you have a disability, it's your ability not your disability that matters." (readysteady.tokyo2020.org, 03 Oct 2019)