Cynthia Mathez

Started: She began playing badminton in 2016. (rjb.ch, 12 Jul 2021) Reason: After she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis she wanted to take up a sport. She considered wheelchair rugby but was advised against it by her doctors, so she decided to try badminton. (cynthia-mathez.ch, 26 Jul 2021; rjb.ch, 12 Jul 2021; swissparalympic.ch, 01 Jan 2021; swisslife.com, 01 Jan 2019) Ambition: To compete in badminton at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (archysport.com, 09 Sep 2021) Additional Info: DUAL PARALYMPIAN Six months after making her Paralympic debut in badminton at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, she competed in wheelchair curling at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing. "I received a phone call in November last year [speaking in 2022] from the Swiss Paralympic Committee asking me if I wanted to be on the reserve list for Beijing 2022. I had played wheelchair curling with friends for fun, but this was different. I also competed at small curling tournaments in Switzerland last year but didn't know where my level was internationally, so that was very stressful. I knew the rules and how to play but did a bit of a crash course on curling strategy - it's complex. Competing at the Summer Games really helped me prepare for Beijing, I knew what to expect. Being in the Athletes' Village again with the team was amazing. The whole thing was an unbelievable experience and I'm so glad I did it." (olympics.bwfbadminton.com, 23 Dec 2022)