Helle Sofie Sagoey

Started: "I have played badminton since I was eight years [old]. In 2013 I heard about Para badminton. Back then there were not that many girls so I played against the boys." (BWF TV YouTube channel, 24 Apr 2022) Reason: She followed her brother into the sport. "There is so much fun with badminton. I like it because it's a social sport. And then it's wonderful to feel the sense of mastery. It's a pretty difficult sport, with a lot of technique and footwork. I remember I was so young and the goal was just to try to hit the shuttle and try to get the shuttle over the net. I remember that I really enjoyed it, because I came back again. Sport is an important part of my life because it gives me joy and the feeling of success. It helps me improve myself. Sport has changed my life. It made me who I am today." (paralympic.org, 08 Dec 2023; teamnor.no, 01 Sep 2021; kk.no, 08 Sep 2016) Ambition: To win a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Instagram profile, 04 Jun 2024; paralympic.org, 08 Dec 2023) Milestones: She became the first badminton player representing Norway to compete at the Paralympic Games when she played at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. Badminton made its first appearance at the Games at Tokyo 2020. (SportsDeskOnline, 08 Dec 2023; aftenbladet.no, 05 Jun 2021) Awards: She was named European Fan Player of the Year for 2023 at Badminton Europe's BEC Awards Gala. (badminton.no, 25 May 2024) She was named Female Para Athlete of the Year at the 2023 Sports Night of Honour [Idrettens Hederskveld] in Trondelag, Norway. (Instagram profile, 08 Nov 2023; nrk.no, 04 Nov 2023) She was named Female Para Athlete of the Year at the 2022 Sports Gala [Idrettsgallaen] in Hamar, Norway. (teamnor.no, 08 Mar 2023; Norges Badmintonforbund Facebook page, 08 Jan 2023) She was flag bearer for Norway at the closing ceremony of the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (Instagram profile, 04 Jun 2024; norwegianamerican.com, 15 Sep 2021) She was named the 2015 Para Badminton Player of the Year by the Badminton World Federation [BWF]. (bwfbadminton.com, 08 Dec 2015) Additional Info: TRAINING OVERSEAS In July 2023 she and Danish Para badminton player Cathrine Rosengren joined a training camp led by coach Jivananthan Nair at the Asia Badminton Academy in Selangor, Malaysia. She said that the camp had a noticeable positive impact on her game. "Cathrine told me about the camp, and I became interested. Back home in Norway, there's not a lot of badminton training in July because it's summer break and people are on vacation. It was a tactical camp with coach Jiva at the Asia Badminton Academy, and I feel after three heavy weeks there, it's now easier for me on court. I'm moving well, and have better endurance. We really enjoyed Malaysia. So much that when we were leaving at the airport we said we would be back soon." (paralympic.org, 08 Dec 2023; olympics.bwfbadminton.com, 09 Nov 2023, 05 Aug 2023; Instagram profile, 28 Jul 2023) COACHING COURSE In 2023 she enrolled in a level 1 coaching course held by the Badminton World Federation [BWF] in the United Arab Emirates. "I wanted to participate in this course because I was curious about the trainer role. I also learned lessons, experiences that I can take with me as a still active practitioner. I really want to try my hand at coaching, alongside being active. I see this as something very positive as I can make others happy with badminton, and develop more players." (badminton.no, 27 Jan 2023)