PRO para surfer and captain of the Proteas Para Surfing team, Tracy Lee McKay, from The Bluff, has won the KZN Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year with Disability for 2023.
Her award was bagged at the ISA World Para Surfing Championship at Huntington Beach, in California. McKay will also be bringing home the bronze medal from the championships, which were held from November 5 to 11.
Also read: Bluff para surfer claims spot on world champion podium
McKay said she was honoured to have received the prestigious title, which proves that nothing can stop her.
“This past year has been amazing. I am proud that I achieved so much in just a year. I thank everyone who has supported me through my para surfing journey. I want my family and friends to know they mean everything to me and that I appreciate them,” she said.
The para athlete superseded her expectations when she competed in para surfing for the first time in May 2019.
The 2023 ISA World Para Surfing Champs is her third international competition. She won a silver medal at the worlds in La Jolla, San Diego, in 2020, just days before the world went into Covid-19 lockdown, and won bronze at the World Championships held at Pismo Beach in California, in 2022. This is her second year as captain.
McKay was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2003, and although treatment was successful, she was diagnosed with a walking impairment, which worsens with time.
She walked with crutches and had braces on both her legs for stability, but when she’s at a sporting event, she uses a wheelchair.
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“It was a huge adjustment for me to live with a disability, but I chose to make it a positive one. I have accepted my disability and embraced it. What I have achieved is beyond my expectations,” said McKay.
She competes in the ‘visually impaired prone – without assistance’ category and is expected to be able to paddle into the surf and catch a wave without any assistance.
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