Proud Perthshire shooter Lesley Stewart has been selected to represent Great Britain at the Paralympic Games.
A recent bronze medal-winning performance at the World Shooting Para Sport Lima World Cup secured the dream ticket to Tokyo.
Lesley (42), from Blairgowrie, will compete in both the R8 (50m Rifle 3 Position Women SH1) and R2 (10m Air Rifle Standing Women SH1).
“Once I’d actually won the quota place, I was absolutely buzzing with happiness and full of joy,” Lesley said.
“It was also a huge relief to have finally secured my quota place given the amount of hard work and dedication that I’ve put in throughout my shooting career.
“For the past three or four years it’s been a difficult time due to serious injury and having to transition from a below-knee amputee to an above-knee amputee has taken a lot of rehabilitation and a long time to get myself back into a position where I can compete.
“I’m now full of pride and it’s an absolute honour to go and represent my country - I’m going to give it absolutely 110 per cent. I can’t wait to get onto that flight to Tokyo.”
Lesley is a former military police officer who served in Hanover, Germany and also in Iraq. In March 2004 she pulled a muscle in her back while on an eight-mile combat fitness test.
After suffering complications and contracting dystonia - a malfunction of the brain where wrong signals can be sent to any part of the body - Lesley had her left leg amputated at the knee.
She underwent a life-threatening ‘deep brain stimulation’ operation in 2009 and was later introduced to shooting at military rehabilitation unit Headley Court. A silver medal at the Europeans would follow.
A reappearing infection in 2016 then led to Lesley having her left leg amputated above the knee. But she never gave up on her Paralympic Games ambition. The support along the way from family, friends, wife Kirsty and the local community has certainly helped keep motivation high.
“Blairgowrie is not the biggest place,” Lesley smiled. “Everybody knows everybody in the town and, since I’ve come back from Lima, I’ve been getting stopped and congratulated.
“My family has been outstanding. My sister Karen even went with me to Lima as a stand-in coach. She dropped everything to go to Peru. And my wife has been my rock. No matter what I’ve done she has always encouraged and believed in me.
“There will be no international spectators at the Games but they will all be watching it on the TV.”
The Paralympic Games will take place between August 24 and September 5 in Tokyo. The event was rescheduled to this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’ve used the lockdown really sensibly to improve my performance and get myself fitter,” Lesley added.
“At the minute my shooting is the best it has ever been - and there is scope for it to be better.”
Shooting team leader, Duncan Tunbridge, said: “I am delighted that Lesley will finally be able to call herself a Paralympian.
“Her scores in training have been steadily climbing and, with competitions being cancelled left, right and centre due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she only had one opportunity to earn a quota place.
“She travelled to the WSPS World Cup in Lima and won that slot at the first time of asking with a bronze medal to boot.
“She has been brilliantly supported in that journey from hospital bed to the Games by her incredible wife and family, Scottish Target Shooting, Blesma and British Shooting.
“Her positivity and can-do attitude will be an asset to the squad and I’m delighted that we now have seven magnificent athletes on the plane to Tokyo.”
ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission Penny Briscoe praised Lesley’s spirit, drive and resilience.
Penny said: “I have no doubt she will be an asset to the team and I look forward to seeing her in action in Tokyo in less than 50 days’ time.”
