Hungarian paralympian Luca Ekler returned from the 2019 World Para Athletics World Championships in Dubai with three medals: one gold in distance jumping and two silver medals in the 100- and 200-meter running competitions.
In the running competitions, she scored her all-time personal best times as well.
The 20-year-old Ekler suffered a stroke at the age of 10 which completely paralyzed her left side.
“I celebrated my 11th birthday in a wheelchair. In my case, the struggle wasn’t for additional centimeters or seconds. I had to fight hard to simply be able to walk again,” she said. “But after half a year, I was already running again.”
She was classified in the mildest disability group 38 of paralympic athletes due to a diagnosis of mild neurological disability, but she now also competes among those without disabilities, including for a bronze medal she won in distance jumping this year at the under-23 National Athletics Championship.
Her Dubai result also qualifies her for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics where she will compete in distance jumping and 100-meter running.
Ekler also runs an Instagram page documenting her successes and struggles.
Title image: Luca Ekler in training in her hoeóme town of Szombathely, western Hungary (youtube capture)
