Katalin Varga

Started: She took up the sport in 2014 with the Budapest Honved Sports Association [BHSE] in Hungary. (origo.hu, 23 Aug 2023) Reason: She did sports during her rehabilitation, initially trying archery before switching her focus to canoe. "There was a choice of sports for patients every year, and that was when I first saw the kayakers. When I'm on the water, all the problems go away and I only smell the spring and hear the birds. I also love the competitive situation." (magyarnemzet.hu, 23 Aug 2023; welovebudapest.com, 17 Apr 2018) Ambition: To win a gold medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (origo.hu, 23 Aug 2023) Awards: She was named 2018 Female Para Athlete of the Year by the Hungarian Canoe Federation. (canoe-europe.org, 20 Dec 2018) Additional Info: BEAUTY PAGEANT In 2012 she won a wheelchair beauty pageant. She says the experience was life-changing and formed part of her introduction to the world of sport. "One of my friends convinced me to enter and I won the competition. It changed my life. I was a beauty queen for a year, and during that time I represented the cause of accessibility with all my might. I made new friends, the world opened up to me, and I also got to know athletes." (magyarnemzet.hu, 23 Aug 2023) KIDNEY CONDITION She did not take up any sport prior to her accident due to a kidney condition. "When I was a kid, I was banned from sports because of my kidney disease, even though I inherited my dad's lean, athletic build and wanted to try a lot of sports. Up to age 18 I had chronic pyelonephritis. But when I had to go to a sports doctor because of my licence to race, it turned out my kidney was fine. I wondered, how could that be? Has the system restarted from sports and exercise? Or from the blood transfusion I had after my accident? I couldn't explain it, but a lot of things have happened in my life." (welovebudapest.com, 17 Apr 2018)