Bush aiming for Paralympic joy at third time of asking

Taekwondo's Matt Bush is refusing to see this "third clip lucky" until he is yet capable to conflict astatine a Paralympic Games this summer.

Bush is 1 of 3 group selected for nan Great Britain taekwondo squad alongside Beth Munro and Amy Truesdale for Paris 2024.

The Games, which tally from 28 August to 8 September, includes Para-taekwondo arsenic a athletics for nan 2nd clip pursuing its debut astatine Tokyo 2020.

Munro and Truesdale fought successful Tokyo – nan erstwhile winning silver, GB's first taekwondo badge astatine nan Paralympics, while Truesdale claimed bronze successful nan +58kg category.

Bush was selected to beryllium alongside them successful Japan, but suffered a knee wounded soon earlier nan Games and was ruled out.

It was nan 2nd Games he missed because of injury. Bush had thought his first quality astatine a Paralympics would travel successful 2016 erstwhile he was Britain's apical antheral thrower successful nan F46 javelin, but a enarthrosis wounded ruled him retired of Rio.

He subsequently switched to taekwondo and has won 2 world titles – and now nan 35-year-old is fresh for nan biggest shape of all, though he is taking thing for granted.

"I don't cognize really fortunate it's going to beryllium until I get there,” he told BBC Sport. "I was adjacent successful Tokyo - I qualified, sewage selected and was correct connected nan doorstep [before injury], truthful hopefully I get to spell this time."

He isn't letting concerns astir his fittingness impact preparations, having won a bronze badge astatine nan European Championships successful May.

"It's conscionable portion of sport," he said of injuries. "They tin hap astatine immoderate time, erstwhile it doesn't person specified a large effect - past sometimes it does."

Bush, who qualified automatically for nan Games arsenic 1 of nan apical six-ranked antheral athletes successful nan world successful nan +80kg category, says family helped support him level-headed done his erstwhile Paralympic disappointments.

He still useful for nan family business distributing food and different dairy products astir Wales, and besides helped retired pinch nutrient deliveries astir his autochthonal Carmarthenshire during nan Covid lockdown.

"It's really important to person things extracurricular nan sport, group tin make nan correction of having their personality successful nan sport, past you don't person immoderate framework of reference," he said.

"You person ups and downs successful your career, erstwhile things are down past everything is down. I person immoderate constants, which from a intelligence wellness position is very positive.

"I person a position that thing is simply a given. It's bully I get to train today, it will beryllium awesome if I get to nan Paralympics, but everything is bully anyway."

Bush says a fewer adjacent friends and family will travel to support him successful Paris – though they will beryllium dwarfed by nan fleet being brought by team-mate Munro.

Around 60 relatives, friends and well-wishers from Munro’s autochthonal Liverpool will beryllium travelling to nan French superior to support nan world number 1 successful nan -65kg category, arsenic she makes up for mislaid clip aft nan 2020 Games took spot without fans because of coronavirus restrictions.

"My family person each sewage T-shirts pinch my look connected them," 30-year-old Munro said. "Tokyo was different, but we made nan astir of it. With Paris being truthful adjacent to home, that will beryllium nan winning edge.

"I deliberation I had to book astir 55 of them tickets, it was a batch of emails, interaction numbers, money to get disconnected people. My auntie helped benignant it, she was amazing."

Aside from bringing half of Merseyside to Paris, Munro hopes that these Games will supply Para-taekwondo pinch nan level it missed retired connected successful Tokyo amid quiet stands and inconvenient timings for UK audiences.

Unlike Olympic taekwondo, points are not scored successful Para-taekwondo for punches aliases caput shots because immoderate of nan athletes person less methods to take sides themselves; Bush, Munro and Truesdale are each missing 1 arm, while immoderate of nan competitors person none.

But yet nan Games are astir showcasing nan champion of Paralympic athletics – and for Truesdale, it is astir getting a golden badge to apical a stellar profession which has featured 3 world titles.

The 35-year-old, who besides won golden astatine nan Europeans earlier successful 2024, said: "I've been doing this a very agelong time, it is nan past badge I request to achieve.

"I americium hopeless to triumph it, hopefully I tin get nan golden this time."