After winning gold at the World Parataekwondo Grand Prix in Manchester, Beth Munro has set her sights on repeating the feat at this summer’s Paralympic Games in Paris.
It was a convincing performance in the final that saw Munro beat neutral athlete Elena Savinskaya 12-2 in the -65kg category, after storming into an 8-0 lead early on in the bout.
Winning gold at the Grand Prix not only adds to a growing collection of achievements in the sport but it means that the Liverpudlian has achieved qualification to the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.
Looking back at a successful year, Munro told MerseySportLive: “I’m very modest but yes, I am dominating. It’s been a very good year, a handful of golds and two silvers, so I’m climbing up in the world.
“I’m currently world number 1 which is fantastic, and I just got an extra 100 points for qualifying.
“I’m in a good position. I just have to stay focused, hone in on next year, these next 6 months and keep on the process towards Paris.”
After only picking up the sport a year before the delayed games in Tokyo, the 30-year old’s rise has been extraordinary, winning the silver medal in Japan, Britain’s first ever Paralympic Taekwondo medal.
Munro built on her Paralympic medal by winning gold at the 2022 European Championships, again in Manchester, which brings her record to three out of three when competing on home soil.
The games in Tokyo were interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, as were athlete training programmes. This meant that Munro did not have the usual process and build up that GB athletes have in preparation for the Paralympics. She is grateful things are different this time around.
She joked: “I don’t need to kick my dad at home anymore! He is very thankful for that by the way.
“The family are all booked, they’ve got the hotel, the tickets are there. They are going to be amazing support in Paris. I think they have a chant ready for me, so you might hear a chant with my name in it in Paris. It’s going to be great, I really can’t wait”.
Para taekwondo made its debut in Tokyo in 2021 becoming only the second contact sport on the paralympic programme, 33 years after judo was added. The para taekwondo events will take place between the August 29-31 and will be held in the Grand Palais in the centre of Paris.
After making history at the Paralympics last time out, Munro will be hoping to go one better this time around and take home the prestigious gold in Paris next summer.
