photo from here
New Zealand has won up till now 4 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze medals in the paralympics. NZ favourite Sophie Pascoe won gold in the 100m butterfly and she won gold in the 200 individual Medley. Sophie broke world records. She also won two silver medals.
Sophie was only 15 when she won 3 gold and 1 silver in Beijing.
Sophie was only 15 when she won 3 gold and 1 silver in Beijing.
She not only won because of her talent but also because of her amazing spirit, dedication and hard work.
She already worked hard on her skills when she was in primary school. She has been in the same class as my daughter. One moment left a big impression on me and showed that Sophie was a born star;
All mums and dads went to school once a year to encourage their kids at the school marathon where they ran from the school to the quarry and back. The children came in and finally the last ones were crossing the final line.....so I thought. All the parents stayed put however and I found out they were waiting for Sophie. Sophie run on her artificial leg as she lost her leg below the knee after being accidentally run over by a ride-on lawnmower at age 2. I waited with the others and there she came running proudly on her own, crossing the line under the loud clapping of the entire school community. A very emotional moment.
She kept up this spirit and today the whole nation is proud of her.
Congratulations Sophie!!
this is so touching!
ReplyDeletethank you for the storie
She is great, what a girl!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story, Marja! We are so proud of her.
ReplyDeleteThat is a powerful spirit that young Sophie has and how awesome that you have a personal story to tell about her. So often we get tripped up by the little things in life. But when you see people facing real challenges with courage and conviction … that IS inspiring. I can see she is making NZ proud!
ReplyDeleteHi Marja .. that's an amazing story isn't it .. for the kids - it's been happening now at the Paralympics for some of the athletes from poorer countries ... the stadium erupts as they 'stagger' towards the finish line ... and that's how Sophie started - wonderful that she's found her place in the swimming pool ...
ReplyDeleteCheers Hilary
what a revealing glimpse into the kind of dedication that makes a champion. Thank you.
ReplyDelete