I've always been involved in sport and physical activity but being able to now participate in a much safer environment with VI-specific sports and assistance for activities like running has improved my performance no end.
Diana tandem cycling with her pilot around a race track.
Fifty-one-year-old Diana lost almost all of the sight in her left eye and a significant amount in her right eye in her mid-20s.
Sport has always been a big part of Diana's life. "I love sport and was always actively involved in many sports since childhood including running, squash, football, horse riding, swimming, mountain biking, and mountaineering.
When I lost my sight, I had to give up most of them as they seemed too dangerous, but I kept up with as much as I could. It was only towards the end of the pandemic that I really discovered visually impaired sports; tandem cycling, running with a guide runner, and just this year blind baseball. I also took up triathlon last year at the age of 50 with the help of sighted guides."
One of Diana's most memorable moments in sports took place this year after taking up triathlon last year. "This year I was absolutely thrilled to win the Newcomer of the Year award in my first season at Kendal Tri Club. I never thought triathlon would be something I could do, but I was encouraged to give it a go and ended up doing five events this year including an olympic distance triathlon."
"Thanks to BBS and Blind Baseball UK I took up blind baseball this year and joined the Sheffield Strikers, helping them win our first tournament this summer."
Being physically active is vital to Diana's health. "As a type 1 diabetic, being involved in physical activity is vital to my physical health and has undoubtedly contributed to better control and saved me from losing the rest of my sight. Mentally it's also critical to me to be active. It enables me to get out, meet new people, and feel good about myself, not to mention the adrenalin rush of sports like mountaineering and rock climbing."
It's not just safe sporting environments that Diana has found. "Taking up triathlon and running with a guide also enabled me to meet my partner Tim, after meeting him at a VI triathlon weekend as my guide runner!"
To find out more about blind baseball, please visit: www.britishblindsport.org.uk/az/baseball.
