International competitions a learning experience for Telford climber Luke
A Telford paraclimber who represents his country despite a club foot has returned from his first major international competition.
Luke Smith, 30, competed for Britain at the Paraclimbing World Championships in Briancon, France last week.
He only joined the British Mountaineering Council's Paralympic team in March after impressing selectors, less than a year after an eye injury stopped him competing in Muay Thai, which he previously won championships for.
And his trip to France came just a few weeks after climbing in Imst, Austria at the Paraclimbing Masters event.
At Briancon he came 13th out of 17 in his category, and the experience has spurred him on to keep developing his abilities.
Luke said of his experience in France: "The experience and the views surrounding the venue were amazing, the backdrop of the Alps is beautiful.
"The team is a great group of supportive people and I always get on with Mikey Cleverdon, the finalist in my category.
"I can learn from watching but doing it yourself is a different kettle of fish.
"Compared to Imst I was more relaxed, but also excited.
"I’ve learnt that I need to improve on my route reading a lot. Next is climbing outdoors, I'm sick of indoor climbing!"
He trains indoors at Newport's Shropshire Climbing Centre and also ventures outdoors regularly, in North Wales and the Peak District.
He juggles his climbing ambitions with his job as an assistant physiotherapist for the NHS and his studies at the University of Wolverhampton.
Luke is looking for sponsors who can help him get to international competitions, and anyone who is interested should email lukejs_87@hotmail.com
