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Sugden suffers Games heartache




Paralympian Louise Sugden is awaiting surgery on a shoulder injury that forced her to withdraw from last month's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham – but she's determined to bounce back stronger than ever.

Sugden competed at both the Beijing and London Paralympic Games in wheelchair basketball before switching to powerlifting in 2017.

"Beijing was my first Paralympics, so it will always be really special to me, but nothing can top competing at a home Games," she said.

Sugden celebrates with her Paralympic bronze medal
Sugden celebrates with her Paralympic bronze medal

"The atmosphere in London was out of this world and the support we received was incredible."

Nine months after she made the switch, she won silver at the 2018 Commonwealths on the Gold Coast.

She said: "It was completely unexpected and I have so many great memories from the competition.

"I never expected to be selected for the Commonwealth Games that soon in my lifting career, let alone bring home a medal."

Sugden had been hoping to go one better at last month's event at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre but made the decision to withdraw with her long term wellbeing in mind.

"The fact that it was a home Games made the decision 10 times harder, all my friends and family had tickets to come and watch," she said.

"I tried to continue to train and make it to competition day but I had to listen to my body in the end.

"I have multiple issues in my shoulder which are a result of the amount they go through in training and general life.

"I'm currently waiting for surgery, the recovery will be very long and there's no guarantee I'll be able to get back to full strength but I'll give it a hundred per cent commitment.

"My approach will be similar to how I treat training, I'll set small goals for myself to help me get to the end goal."

Sugden, who won bronze at last summer's Tokyo Paralympics, is hoping she'll be able to return to compete at the Paris Paralympics in 2024.

"The decision to withdraw from the Commonwealths was made with Paris in mind," she said.

"The thought of competing in Paris is what will keep me going during the long rehab from my injury."

Sugden faces a long and difficult road to recovery, but Paris 2024 will provide some light at the end of the tunnel – this might just be her toughest challenge yet.



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