Other Sport / Surfing
Bristol disabled surfer selected for world championships
A Bristol surfer has been selected to represent England at the ISA World Para Surf Championships 2022 in California.
Stephen Lightbown, who only started surfing two years ago, will take on some of the world’s best para surfers in the Para Surf Prone 1 class, surfing in a prone position with no assistance once in the water.
Stephen, a poet and spoken word artist who lives in Hanham with his wife Carly and their one-year-old son, Bear, is paralysed from the waist down following a sledging accident in 1996.
is needed now More than ever
To cover the cost of taking athletes and a support team to California, a £20,000 fundraising campaign has been launched by Surfing England.
Individual athletes are also expected to raise funds themselves and secure their own individual corporate sponsors in order to fund their trip to Pismo Beach from December 4 to 11.
Stephen Lightbown (centre) has been selected to represent England at the upcoming ISA World Para Surf Championships in Pismo Beach, California – photo: Stephen Lightbown
Stephen, 43, said: “I only started surfing two years ago and never thought I’d be representing my country and lining up against some of the world’s best para surfers.
“Surfing provides me with a freedom that I don’t get from being a wheelchair user.
“The ocean has a special attraction for me, but after my accident I was intimidated about being in the water and it took 20 years before I went in the ocean again.
“Now, in full training mode, I try and surf at least once a week, either at The Wave in Bristol or in the sea.
“The cost of getting to California is going to be huge and I’m having to have a custom board made that is competition ready.
“These costs are not cheap and I’m making a plea to any Bristol company who wants to support a surfer from their city compete in the World Championships to get in touch.”
Main photo: Phil Williams
Read next:
- England’s adaptive surfing competition returns to The Wave
- Bristol gets its first padel courts
- Team behind Bristol’s inland surf lake reveal plans for more sites across UK and Ireland
- Pop-up skatepark opens in car park
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