West Brom Blind Archer Aims For Gold
Trish Gracesmith will represent Great Britain later this month.
A West Bromwich mum who took up archery after losing her sight to a series of strokes is set realise her dream by competing at a major international sporting event held in Birmingham this summer.
Trish Gracesmith was just 33 when she had her first stroke, with several major and minor strokes following β each affecting her memory β until she was diagnosed with vascular dementia aged just 45.
As well as memory loss, the strokes triggered a number of vision problems which gradually led Trish to fully lose her sight five years ago β a moment which she admitted left her in βshockβ.
The mum-of-five began taking up archery to help get her into a regular routine and keep herself both mentally and physically active, and competed in her first competition in 2021 against other blind and partially sighted, as well as fully-sighted archers.
She has since won more than seven trophies and various medals and has even become a three-time record holder, topping the visually impaired archery charts in Great Britain for the 18m and 25m indoor and WA1440 outdoor distances.
Now she is now set to compete on her biggest stage yet as she represents her country and takes on the best in the world at the 2023 International Blind Sport Federation (IBSA) World Games, which is being held in the UK for the first time in August.
