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My best and worst moments: Poland’s Barbara Niewiedzial
The T20 athlete who won three gold medals at Doha 2015 talks about her career ups and down. 09 Mar 2016
The T20 athlete who won three gold medals at Doha 2015 talks about her career ups and down.
This week’s ‘Best and Worst Moments’ comes from Poland’s Barbara Niewiedzial, who proved invincible at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, Qatar, winning all three of the events she raced in – the 400m, 800m and 1,500m T20.
Niewiedzial’s success in the Middle East added to the world title she won two years previously in Lyon, France, as well as the 1,500m gold she won at the London 2012 Paralympic Games – an event that inspired her to keep on going for gold.
My best moment
It was the Paralympic Games in London in 2012 - the day when I competed in the 1,500m and won a gold medal. I had never raced in front of 80,000 people before, and the effect the crowd had on me was amazing – they definitely helped carry me round the track.
After winning I received a huge round of applause, and the tears of happiness flowed for at least another hour!
Coming to London, I thought it would be the last Paralympic Games in my career. But those great fans gave me so much positive energy that I decided to continue my sports career. I have the minimum qualifying standard for the Rio Paralympic Games this year, and I hope that I will compete for another medal.
My worst moment
It was September 2015 at the INAS Global Games in Quito, Ecuador. The competition took place at an altitude of almost 3,000m, and I was racing in the final of the 400m.
I was in the lead from the start, then with just 20 metres to go before the finish line - and with a large advantage over the other athletes – I suddenly felt like all my oxygen had been cut off.
I experienced dizziness and fell down on the track as all my rivals ran past me. I picked myself up – still feeling groggy – and ran to the finish line in last place, before falling down again. It took me a few days to recover and it made me realize the importance of the skills needed to run at high altitude.
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Sport fans from around the world can now buy their Paralympic tickets for Rio 2016 from authorised ticket resellers (ATRs).
The IPC’s Global ATR is Jet Set Sports, and Rio 2016 tickets and packages can be purchased on the CoSport website.
Residents of Brazil can buy 2016 Paralympics tickets directly from the Rio 2016 website.
