JUST days before a Ross-on-Wye-based international athlete was due to take part in the Kettlebell World Championships in New York – she was involved in an incident in which she fell, causing serious injury to her knee.

Ruth Forbes,43, explains that whilst trying to help a mother stop her teenage daughter from running into oncoming traffic in Henry Street, she was accidentally kicked in the face, causing her to fall backwards and injuring her left knee.

She said: “I honestly thought it would be an injury that would eventually settle. I took time off work before I flew out to America for my knee to heal.

“I thought I’d done enough, but when I came to compete against the other international athletes, I quickly realised that my knee wasn’t strong enough to make it through to its final stages and I decided to withdraw before I made things any worse.”

And now after suffering months of pain, restricted movement and trying to manage things through the National Health Service, Ruth has been told that she has severe bone-on-bone arthritis in the outer part of my knee, with a significant loss of movement.

She said: “I’m facing the possibility of a very long wait on the NHS and private assessment and treatment could potentially help me move forward with my recovery sooner.

“The life of an athlete is finite and so, after a lot of hesitation, I’ve decided to ask for some help and has set up a gofundme.com fundraising page.

“For most people, an injury like this would be difficult enough. For me, it has affected almost every part of my life.

“I’m a personal trainer, fitness instructor and kettlebell athlete. Training isn’t just something I enjoy — it’s my job, my passion and a huge part of who I am.

Ruth Forbes is waiting to have a knee operation.
FUNDING APPEAL: Ruth Forbes is hoping that people will donate towards helping her obtain a knee operation. (Iliffe Media)

Ruth previously ran a strongman class and also helped coach strength and conditioning for a women’s rugby team before taking up the sport of kettlebell as part of helping her rebuild her life both physically and mentally following a bout of depression.

Kettlebell sport is a strength endurance sport where you lift for long sets often 30 minutes, without putting the kettlebell down. It’s both a very technical sport and demanding.

“Fitness became a way for me to rebuild myself, both physically and mentally, and kettlebells in particular gave me a real focus and purpose again,” Ruth added.

Ruth, who represented Scotland at the championships, reflected on her time at the Convention Centre in Syracuse, New York and said: “When I got to World Championships I started my routine with the kettlebells, but it soon became obvious that the pain was so excruciating.

“The whole situation was absolutely mortifying as I have never not competed fully in any competition that I’ve attended.

“It broke me in making the decision to pull out. It was depressing not to compete to the best of my ability as I know I could do a lot better.

“On my return I attended some physiotherapy sessions, but I realised that I needed to act now and not in two years’ time because I was facing a long NHS wait.

“I’m still working and continuing to train and support my clients, but my own physical training has been dramatically restricted.

“I can’t currently train, lift and compete in the way I used to, and some aspects of my work have become more physically challenging because of my limited movement.

“I’ve spent the last few months trying to manage things, continuing to work and hoping that things would improve.

“I’m now being referred to an orthopaedic specialist to look at what treatment options might be available.

“But this requires money, which I don’t have and reluctantly I’ve set up this fundraiser to help towards the cost of private consultations, investigations, treatment and rehabilitation for my knee.

Kettlebell
COMPETITOR: Ruth Forbes competes in a previous International Kettlebell Championships. (Submitted/Ruth Forbes)

“I know times are difficult for everyone, and there is absolutely no pressure or expectation for anyone to donate.”

“I’ve spent a lot of my life helping other people and asking for help myself doesn’t come naturally to me at all. But right now, I need a little help getting back on my feet.

“My ambition is that I want to get back to training properly; I want to get back to lifting and I want to get back to competing before my time as an athlete comes to an end.”

.