A DISABLED surfer from Bournemouth – who only took up the sport three years ago – has taken silver at a major adaptive surfing championship.
Tash Davies, 31, came second in the prone assist category at the Welsh Adaptive Surfing Championships held at Adventure Parc Snowdonia at Dolgarrog, in the Conwy Valley.
The discipline where Tash was successful sees the surfer assisted into the water and pushed into the five-foot high wave with another crew waiting for her at the end of her run.
Tash, who has a weakness in her arms, only started surfing three years ago after being invited to an event in Cornwall. She played wheelchair basketball before finding her love of surfing.
She said: “I watched the others and it looked good to me so I went home and started training. I got into the water with a surfboard and loved it.
“I have been disabled since I was 13 years old and have enjoyed kayaking but surfing is a different challenge which I enjoy taking on.”
Tash, who has also previously taken part in the English Adaptive Surfing Open in Bristol, was one of more than 20 surfers from around the world to take part in the event’s second iteration after a three-year gap caused by the pandemic. Other competitors came from the likes of France, Israel and the USA.
The man-made lagoon was the world's first inland venue to host an adaptive surfing championship event three years ago. The sport is in contention to become a Paralympic sport at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
Adventure Parc Snowdonia marketing manager Iwan Phillips said: “It’s been a privilege to welcome the adaptive surfers back to Snowdonia, their incredible spirit and camaraderie highlights the very best of surfing and how sport truly brings people together for all the right reasons.
“For us hosting this event showcases the benefits the controlled environment we have with our facility alongside our ambition to make surfing and outdoor activities accessible and inclusive to people of all abilities or confidence levels.”
Visit adventureparcsnowdonia.com for more information.
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