Faustyna Kotlowska

Started: She took up the sport at age 16 in 2017 in Koscierzyna, Poland. (naszemiasto.pl, 12 Nov 2019; Pelnosprawni, TVP, 16 Jan 2021; pzsnstart.eu, 17 Jul 2023) Reason: She first became interested in Para athletics after watching the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and took up the sport the following year after coach Leszek Zblewski noticed her during her school sport classes and introduced her to throwing disciplines. "During the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro I was watching [Polish Para athlete] Lukasz Mamcarz competing in the high jump on TV, and I said to my mother that I wanted to jump like him. So I became interested in Para athletics, but my mum was a bit sceptic as she was worried that I would hurt myself." (Pelnosprawni, TVP, 16 Jan 2021; pzsnstart.eu, 17 Jul 2023) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (pzsnstart.eu, 17 Jul 2023) Awards: She was named the 2020 Para Athlete of the Year in Poland at the Polish Sports Personality of the Year Awards. (polsatsport.pl, 09 Jan 2021; Pelnosprawni, TVP, 16 Jan 2021) In December 2020 she received the Golden Spike Award for Para Athlete of the Year from the Polish Athletic Association. (onet.pl, 04 Dec 2020) Additional Info: SPORT AIDS SELF-ACCEPTANCE She says that after her accident she initially felt ashamed of her impairment, and would try to hide it with long and loose clothes. She said sport helped her overcome these feelings. "I was very ashamed that I had an impairment. I tried to not make my impairment visible, and I was afraid of rejection. I think that the 2018 European Championships in Berlin, Germany, changed my attitude. People congratulated me and didn't treat me as a person with an impairment. Now I am not ashamed anymore that I don't have a leg. I can go out in shorts, I don't hide my impairment anymore. So sport is not only about training for me, it's also about working on yourself, on your character and self-acceptance. It's also about helping others. I know how difficult it is, so I try to motivate others and help them." (natemat.pl, 13 Jan 2021) DISCUS PREFERENCE She has competed in discus, shot put and javelin, but says discus has become her preferred event. "After Berlin [2018 European Championships], I was a bit tired of discus, because we trained in it every day and I just stopped liking it. But eventually this changed, maybe because of this bronze medal that I won in Berlin. Now it's my favourite discipline and my best one, so I enjoy it the most, too." (Pelnosprawni, TVP, 16 Jan 2021)