Twenty-year-old paralympian E. Vainauskaitė says that she was born with a disability – she does not have one arm below the elbow. The girl assures that it was not a loss, since she learned to do everything with the other hand from a young age, but the reactions of those around her hurt her.
“Kids can be cruel. In school, I often received not only crooked looks, but also bullying because of my disability. I remember wiping away tears almost every night over it. However, relatives and friends were very supportive and did not allow me to break down. And today – I represent Lithuania in the Paralympics”, – the paralympian remembers the difficult school period she went through.
The Lithuanian Paralympic Committee, together with Camelia, one of the largest pharmacy chains, which has been providing various support to paraathletes for the third year, aims to educate the public and reduce the discrimination experienced by people with disabilities. At the recently organized send-off of the Paralympians to the Paris Games, which was open to the public, the organizers invited to watch a sensitive, yet emotionally powerful discussion, in which Eivydė, together with other athletes, shared not only about the obstacles in preparing for the competition, but also personal experiences.
Ignition occurs when working consistently
The athlete will participate in the shot put final on September 4. Since the physical strength of the legs is the most necessary in this event, Eivydė meets athletes with hand disabilities when competing together. The para-athlete admits that she discovered shot put after trying many other sports, from long jump to running. However, due to his build and available physical strength, he concentrated on pushing the ball.
“I admit, the beginning was not easy. I survived because of the surrounding looks and insulting words that I was dreaming and that I would not achieve anything. I often shed a tear because of such reactions and complained to my relatives. However, they constantly encouraged me not to give up, and most importantly, to not pay attention to the opinions of others and continue to do sports.
Apparently, that focus on the ball ignited even more passion, I saw growing results, so I wanted to do more and more. Next year, it will be ten years that I have been practicing shot put”, – E. Vainauskaitė shares her motivation to do sports.
It encourages you to dare
Before her first Paralympic start, the athlete says that she is not worried, because she has been consistently working on it for several years.
“First of all, don’t be afraid to try. Try as many activities as you can to discover what you really like and by no means be afraid of what others think. Sometimes it can be very difficult, but the support of relatives, coaches, friends was enough for me – and here I am – in professional sports. The most important thing is to concentrate on your work, and not on the words of angry people,” the athlete shares her experience.
2024-09-04 13:20:28