Meath Sports Awards... Leonard defied the odds in Tokyo
Culmullen's Kerrie Leonard produced a stunning performance in the women's Individual Compound to reach the 1/8 Eliminations at the Tokyo Paralympics in September.
Leonard advanced through to the last eight of the after beating India's Jyoti Baliyan in the elimination round 141-137.
However her magnificent journey came to an end in the 1/8 round despite a brave performance against a Artakhinova of the Russian Paralympic Committee,
Leonard was very much in contention against the highly rated Russian and a shock looked on the cards, but in the third end the Meath woman paid the price for shooting a 24 as Artakhinova registered a 29.
Leonard responded with a 29 to win the next end but it wasn’t enough to overturn the Russian, who advanced on a score of 141-131.
Despite the loss Leonard was hugely proud of her superb performances in Tokyo.
“It’s amazing to have made the last 16 in the Paralympics and it shows, if you’re given the opportunity, just how much you can do if you go for it.”
Leonard picked up Archery through a family friend at the age of 12, she started competing competitively at 21 and has competed internationally since 2012.
She missed out on qualification to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, but that setback didn’t deter her as she continued to follow her dream of representing Ireland at a Paralympic Games.
From a farming background and a safety advocate for farm safety, Leonard studied Equine Business in Maynooth University, before going on to complete a Marketing Masters in UCD in 2019.