Keira Forsythe Takes Bronze But Is Left Frustrated In Paris Bid

By Hannah Blackwell

Keira Forsythe has admitted she was left disappointed by a bronze medal in the -52kg Para Taekwondo at the European Para Championships in the Netherlands.

The Welsh Paralympic hopeful had been intending to garner maximum points for her qualification bid for Paris, but failed to make the final.

https://twitter.com/BBCSportWales/status/1691105714406596608?s=20

Forsythe – who only took up the sport full-time earlier this year – was given a seeding straight through to the semi-final, but lost to Royala Fataliyeva of Azerbaijan.

“The fight was disappointing,” said Forsythe, who hails from Wrexham and is bidding to follow in the footsteps of Welsh Paralympian Beth Munro.

“Everything I have been working on with my coach I could have utilised better. I didn’t apply it properly and she got the better of me today. Maybe not next time.

“It is the first time I have ever gone straight into the semi-final. It is nice in one way, but my own prep I didn’t apply properly. We will see how we go next time.

“But I’ve got the bronze and maybe 10 rankings points towards Paris (Paralympic Games 2024). I’m not getting the gold or silvers I wanted but I am still chipping away at the points.

“I am putting the work in behind the scenes so hopefully one day I will make the final.

“I have moved from Wrexham to Manchester for training so to be around the GB base with the likes of Beth Munro and Jade Jones all within 15 minutes is awesome.”

https://twitter.com/EuroParaChamps/status/1691365869861928961?s=20

Forsythe had her left arm amputated in 2019 after years of pain.

In 2012 she broke her wrist while walking her dog after it ran to chase a squirrel while her arm was in the plastic handle of a retractable lead.

The incident left her in constant pain before the amputation.