Pictures courtesy of @beth_munro23 and @ParalympicsGB
“Stay determined on your journey and a dream can come true,” says Beth Munro – and she should know.
On 3 September 2021 the fighter made history when she became Great Britain’s first Paralympic taekwondo medallist, as the sport made its Games debut in Japan.
In isolation battling past three high-class opponents to secure a silver medal was impressive enough, but when you consider Munro had only taken up the sport 18 months earlier and she was competing in just her second event, it was truly astounding.
Since that landmark Tokyo 2020 achievement the Liverpudlian has maintained her 100% medal-winning record, with a maiden European title, secured in front of friends and family in Manchester, her most recent major honour.
The Women’s Sports Alliance (WSA) spoke with the former netballer – who also dabbled in javelin, before discovering her “surprising” kicking prowess – about her fascinating journey.
Q – Every athlete’s sporting journey is different, but yours is truly unique. Tell us a little about your dramatic transformation from netballer to para-taekwondo star…
“It’s certainly been a surreal whirlwind,” she tells the WSA.
I’ve been doing netball since I was young and then at the end of 2019 I went to a talent spotting event in north Wales and that’s when the journey began.
“I was asked to come down to Wales once a month to train javelin and then in my second month down there they said ‘want to try taekwondo?’
“I’d never kicked or punched a person in my life, I’m so placid, but I wanted to give it a go. I did, loved it and it’s been a fantastic journey since.”
Q – How soon did you know this was the sport for you?
My head coach down in Wales came up to me after I’d kicked a few pads and said ‘you’ve never kicked before?’ and I said ‘no’, she said ‘Interesting! You’ve got the talent and skill there, you can see it’ and that spurred me on.”
Q – Your first even was the Paralympic qualification competition. What was that like as an experience and how did you handle the nerves of a first professional fight?
“With such a focused goal ‘you have to win one match – do that and there’s a ticket to Tokyo’ and being so determined, they weren’t too bad at the time.
“I think the score must have reflected that (confidence), I think I got into the 60’s, it was high-scoring, a bit of a bloodbath, but the nerves were at bay.
“They started to increase coming up to the Games as that was my first full competition day where I’d have to do four fights to win a medal.”
Q – How much belief and confidence did success at your first event give you heading into Tokyo 2020? Did you believe winning a medal there was possible?
“I had a thing in my head for a few months leading into Tokyo where I’d write in my diary every night ‘Beth you win medal at the Games’ I didn’t put a colour down, but I thought you can medal, you can bring home a Paralympic medal for GB.
“When I got there and came off after the first match against Nepal I was like ‘I can do this’ then after Turkey I was like ‘right, this is going places’.
“Then of course against China semi-finals, winning that guaranteed a medal and I was just cloud nine, ecstatic.”
Q – What is it like to stand on the podium and hear your name announced?
Images courtesy of GB Taekwondo and Paralympics GB
“It was so special,” she tells the WSA.
“Having spectators there at that time would have been absolutely fantastic, but my coach (Andrew Deer) got to put my medal around my neck which was a very poetic.
“It was lovely actually as he’s helped me so much and the six month period (before the Games) helped build me into the athlete who could win a Paralympic silver medal and I can’t thank him enough, so that was amazing.”
Q – Your success in Tokyo came during the Covid-19 pandemic, so there were no fans in venues. How special was it then to not only win the European title in Manchester, but do so in front of friends and family?
“I had a group of about 20 friends and family who’d I’d never actually seen me fight live in a competition.
“I think they were definitely the third person on the mat for me, giving that extra adrenaline boost to continue to fight when I was fatigued.
Q – You also beat the ‘legendary’ Lisa Gjessing en-route to European gold after losing to her in the Tokyo 2020 final. How big a moment was that for you?
“She’s a pioneer for para taekwondo and I really do respect here as a friend but on the mat, you can’t have friends, you do the job that you need to do which is win.
“As respectful as I am to Lisa, having finally beaten her was another mental hurdle and I thought ‘yes I’ve done it, ticket it off’ so I know I can do it and she’s not a robot.
“I couldn’t fight at the the Worlds (in late 2021) because I got Covid and that was hard to miss out on all of those ranking points ahead of Paris 2024, so I knew I needed a big result in Manchester.
“Winning there, in my first major at home, in front of friends, family and spectators for the first time, it was just amazing and pure elation.”
Q – If there’s someone out there reading this interview and wondering if they should give para-taekwondo a go, what would you say to them?
“You honestly don’t know what you’re good at until you try it.
“If you have that fire within you, if you’re sporty and have competitiveness then taekwondo is the sport for you.
‘I just think ‘why not’ anything is possible, I’m living proof of that, so try it, kick some pads, and hopefully one day you’ll be able to come away with a Paralympic medal like me!”
Munro credits her coach - and ex GB taekwondo fighter - Andrew Deer for her rapid rise