Kate Middleton plays goalball on Oct. 12, 2023.Photo:Suzanne Plunkett - WPA Pool/Getty Images
Suzanne Plunkett - WPA Pool/Getty Images
Kate MiddletonandPrince Williamshowed off their competitive sides once again — and this time, Kate came out on top!
Goalball is a Paralympic sport for the visually impaired where all the players wear eyeshades or blindfolds. Tactile lines are used for players to feel where they are and the ball has an internal bell allowing the players to hear where it is.
Both Prince William and Princess Kate sported goggles to participate in a penalty shout-out.
Tim Lawler, the chief executive of SportsAid, tells PEOPLE exclusively, “The prince shot and the goalie saved it, but the princess took a shot and she scored, so bragging rights to the princess!”
Lawler adds, “That was a sport they knew very little about and they are pretty informed, so that was a wonderful insight for them. Taking sight away, that creates challenges and pressures — how do you deal with that? How do you lean on your other senses? What imagery can you use in order to achieve your objective?”
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Kate Middleton plays goalball on Oct. 12, 2023.Suzanne Plunkett - WPA Pool/Getty Images
The couple also played netball, practicing their focus with various external pressures such as performing with crowd noise. And again, Kate’s team walked away with the victory.
Champion netball player Ama Agbeze, who was on Kate’s team at the event, tells PEOPLE, “We won both times! I think they are really competitive so they both want to be the best and win, a little healthy competition is a good thing.”
Prince William plays netball on Oct. 12, 2023.Suzanne Plunkett - WPA Pool/Getty Images
Lawler agrees that Kate and William are “naturally competitive.”
“They certainly didn’t want to leave without trying everything, particularly in the practical element,” he continues. “It was lots of fun! They seem to have really enjoyed it, and it stimulated a few thoughts. They certainly seemed to enjoy it, and we thought they were terrific guests.”
The day of sports isn’t the first time that Prince William and Princess Kate have shown off their competitive sides. The couple never shies away from a face-off, whether they’remaking cocktails,sailing in a charity raceorplaying ping-pong.
Prince William and Kate Middleton play netball on Oct. 12, 2023.Suzanne Plunkett - WPA Pool/Getty Images
“I’m not going to say you’re uber competitive,” Mike said about Kate before pausing to give a nod indicating that she really was.
Princess Kate replied coyly, “I’m not competitive at all.”
“I’ve seen her play beer pong!” Mike said.
When it comes to table tennis, Kate said on the podcast that she and her husband have never “actually managed to finish a game.”
“It becomes a mental challenge between the two of us,” she said.
William added that it comes down to “who can out-mental each other.”
Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty Images
Kate has been a patron of SportsAid since 2013, and Lawler praised the couple for being willing to step out of their comfort zones during the event.
“It was really good fun, and I often find with these things — unendingly to the prince and princess' credit — that they’re willing to try some things that are maybe at the edge of what one would consider normal for an engagement or a public event such as this,” he says.
source: people.com
