Amy Truesdale says her gold medal-winning peformance at the Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships is the perfect preparation for her defence of her European crown in Turkey next week.
Para-taekwondo ace Truesdale, from Hoole, claimed the gold medal K44 class at Edinburgh’s Meadowbank Stadium at the weekend after seeing off Scotland’s Robyn Lewsley.
Commonwealth success had added another medal to the 25-year-olds collection having won gold at the World Para Taekwondo Championships in Russia back in July and a silver in the able-bodied section of the National Championships in Manchester in August.
Truesdale, who was born with the lower part of her left arm missing, will head to Turkey next week in defence of her title and says her Scottish success has given her a timely boost.
“It has been a mad, busy year so far and I’ve had a lot of success of competitions, which has been great,” said Truesdale, who was named Sporting Champion for Chester at the Trinity Mirror-Scottish Power Your Champions Awards at the weekend.
“It was great for me to win the Commonwealth title up in Scotland and it’s the perfect way for me to go into the European Championships.
“I won gold last year and I’m feeling really, really good heading into this year’s competition. I want to retain my title and bring home the gold medal again. That’s my aim.”
Truesdale, who trains out of Stoke UTA under coach Peter Johnson, has attributed her excellent form in 2014 to her increased competition schedule.
“I think the reason I’ve been doing so well this year is that I have been getting in a lot more competitions,” she added.
“You can do as much training as you like but nothing beats competition. I’m feeling really sharp and ready to go.”
