Judo is for everyone, says visually impaired medallist

A visually impaired woman from County Antrim has become an international judo champion, a year after taking up the sport.

Collette Kerr is a member of Simply Judo Adapts in Ballymoney.

She won gold at the British Open Adaptive and Visually Impaired Judo Championships in Wales.

"People make assumptions that just because you're visually impaired, you are restricted in what you can do and that's not always the case," she said.

She was part of the Irish Adaptive Judo Team entered the tournament in Cardiff last month.

"I had no idea when I started just over a year ago that the sport would take over so much of my life, but I love it," Collette said.

"With visually impaired judo, it's not about what you can't do on the mat, it's about what you can do."

Video journalist: Niall McCracken

24 September 2023