“Last month I took part in my first international parabadminton tournament in Turkey. It was an incredible experience and one which I shall never forget.

I had to arrive two days earlier than the rest of team Scotland to get officially classified.

At the opening ceremony of the tournament all the athletes congregated together. There were hundreds of athletes and coaches there from 43 different countries. The atmosphere was full of excitement, happiness and anticipation. At the opening ceremony we were treated to a dance performance by men and women clothed in traditional Turkish dress which was fantastic to watch.

The tournament itself commenced the following day and I had my first mixed doubles match. It was nerve wracking being led onto the court by the umpire in front of spectators, but as soon as I started to play the nerves disappeared.

The tournament was the first of the qualifying events for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics games. The standard of play was extremely high and the matches very tough indeed. Most athletes have been playing internationally for many years and so for me as newbie, it was very overwhelming – although in a good way.

I learned so much from not only playing against these athletes but also from watching them. I played mixed doubles, doubles and singles. Every match was a challenge and team Scotland unfortunately came home empty handed but full of enthusiasm and goals for our future tournaments.
Next week I set off for my second international tournament which is in Uganda. I am very excited to take part in this event and have been training hard for it.

It was amazing to play in Turkey and to meet so many disabled athletes from all over the world. Each athlete had their own story about how they have overcome the challenges of their disability which I found very life affirming and positive. There were a few amputees like myself (although not many) and it was so great to meet them.