Loida Zabala’s exploits in Paris: she was able to compete in the midst of an incurable cancer

Loida Zabala is 37 years old. When he was eleven, he stopped walking because of transverse myelitis, a disease of one of the elements in the spinal cord. He remained in a wheelchair and was always tired.

To try to combat this, he began training weightlifting. It was there that he began competing at an international level, where he was in the elite for more than two decades where he participated in the Beijing, London, Rio and Tokyo Games. He was ready to compete in a fifth Olympic event in Paris, but everything became more complicated for him. last November.

Then he declared that he was suffering a lung cancer. But not just who. It started to spread and reach other parts of his body. This is a malignant neoplasm which reached his brain and multiplied into various masses. A total of nine developed from disease metastasis. Treatment began and, in December, the athlete reported that doctors were able to remove the masses, though there is no cure for his illness. However, treatment must continue.

Despite this and a very complicated state of health, He promised to give everything to reach the Paris Games. In this, he fulfilled his goal of participating this Thursday, in a great display of improvement to realize his dream despite the difficulties.

“It is almost impossible for me to be here in the state I am in, but finally we lost weight. Besides, I made three valid ones, which I have never done before in any international competition,” highlighted a very emotional Zabala after her performance.

really, the result is the smallestbecause his physical condition is a big challenge for Zabala. She finished ninth with 75 moves after three valid attempts of 60, 70 and the 75 in the final led by Venezuelan Clara Sarahy Fuentes (124, Paralympic record) ahead of Chinese Jinping Xiao (119) and the British Olivia Broome (119) .

“Because it’s very complicated I had to wait until the end to compete the medical clearance“, he highlighted through tears after the competition. But his effort has been rewarded. “In January I weighed 61 kilos and I need to lose 50. I spent a lot of time in the sauna with medical supervision, with a pressure monitor of blood Being on the brink of competing after all the hard work we’ve put in would be devastating news for me.” he explained.

That’s why I had to do it. “I have sacrificed many months to get here. I didn’t know I was this strong. Now I know that everyone has that insidebecause I had a lot of doubts in the last few months,” said Loida. “If I had sunk and finally thrown in the towel, I would not be living today, with my family in the stands, with my people,” he said very excited.

Because sports goals, perhaps the least important thing, have been a great source of inspiration for him. Obviously they will continue. “I would like to revalidate the title of European champion, which is in two years. I have time to recover the form I was in last year. And then I would like to survive until Los Angeles 2028,” she commented with the voice rattan .

His medal was won long before competing. “It was unbelievable to me that I could do it. I couldn’t believe it when I saw my family in the stands,” Loida concluded. He lived a day to remember and sent a great message to the world after signing a unique act: Nothing is more powerful than dreams.