On the BRIGHT SIDE
Look at any world-class athlete and it’s easy to only see the glorious trophy moments, the collections of medals, fame and global sponsorships. Yet some of the top sporting stars – take Michael Phelps or Serena Williams – have shown the world that even behind the biggest array of medals or beneath the toughest exterior, any sportsperson is always human first, athlete second.
At just 15, Sophie Pascoe – aka the Phelps of Paralympians, who was recently named New Zealand summer Paralympian of the Decade – was the youngest ever Kiwi to compete at the Paralympics and walk away with four medals. About to celebrate turning 27 this month, her Paralympic medals count sits at 15, nine of those are gold.
With the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics looming, her training schedule is starting to crank up a few notches and the excitement is brewing, but the physical challenge of powering through length after length isn’t the only battle.
‘It’s not always perfect and you need to be able to accept and admit that’
“I definitely went through a low patch over the past two years,” Sophie admits.
“I fell into a bit of a hole. It was right before Nationals. It all just got too hard and I
