A blessing to be called a Paralympian

Deprived of her mobility, one woman has turned to a sport for the strong. She tells Melissa Hekkers how it won her heart

Maria Markou’s love for sports was interrupted by a car accident that left her with total lower limb disability at the age of 16. “I had a traffic accident that deprived me of my mobility. It wasn’t easy to accept my new reality, but I had to accept it, in order to move forward, find myself and slowly return to my everyday life, which from then on would be somewhat different, but not my participation in sports,” says Maria, “and when I look at my great love for sports, it’s as if I was born for it”.

The Cypriot para powerlifter from Limassol has been involved in sports nearly her entire life. “I started practising at a very young age, at the age of four I was doing gymnastics and at the age of seven I started doing athletics,” reveals Maria, “I was an active athlete in both sports, at the same time, until the age of 16, when I had a motorcycle accident. From a very young age I realised the values imbedded in sports, values such as equality, acceptance of diversity, respect for fellow human beings, solidarity, empathy, noble rivalry, healthy competition. All these values encouraged my need for personal development,” explains Maria, “while when I grew up, I discovered the strength and energy I had hidden inside me and found a way to channel it, namely, through sports.”

Although her school was poorly equipped to deal with a wheelchair user, Maria kept up with her classmates by intensively studying at home to make up for her short days and long spells away while undergoing treatment. She graduated from school at the same time as her classmates.

At first hesitant to get involved again in sports it took Maria a while to become involved in Paralympic sports. “I started my career with the team sport of wheelchair basketball,” she reveals “and continued with the individual sports of swimming and para powerlifting (bench press)”.

Paralympic powerlifting is an adaptation of the sport of powerlifting for athletes with disabilities. The only discipline in Paralympic powerlifting is the bench press, a sport open to anyone with a minimum level of disability who can extend their arms within 20 degrees of full extension during a lift.

“The bench won my heart because it’s a sport for the strong, so for me it was another personal challenge that I embraced, loved and became more interested in,” says Maria, “the challenges I had to face as a disabled athlete were many but I never gave up, I always smiled and with my stubbornness and will, I found a way to face them.”

Now aged 30, and as a champion who has won gold medals in world championships, Maria is currently training for the 2024 Paralympic Games set to be held in Paris, where she will represent Cyprus.

“It’s good for people to know that training for disabled people is more difficult than for non-disabled people; the hours are longer, as is the configuration in how some machines are used, and this changes the programme and the pace of training,” explains Maria.

To this end, Maria estimates that to be able to reach the biggest sporting event in the world and succeed in becoming a recognised Olympian/Paralympian you have to be willing to make a lot of sacrifices, have talent and above all, love what you do. “What’s also important is to know your sport very well, and that’s why you must spend time studying your every move, so that you can improve your technique and bring about the best possible results”.

As a member of the Cypriot National Paralympic Team, with which she represents Cyprus in international competitions as the island’s first Paralympic powerlifter. Maria has already won several awards and broken numerous PanCyprian records; she also represented Cyprus at her first Paralympic Games, in Tokyo in 2020.

But it is not all about the sport. Maria is also an ECT teacher in secondary school on the island and an active advocate for an array of topics that are rear her heart. “I deliver speeches in schools and at various events on the topics of sports, Olympics/Paralympics, life and the everyday life of individuals with disability, road safety and motivation, among others,” she says. “I give speeches in kindergartens, primary, secondary/technical and higher education, in professional services and wherever I’m called by the ministry of education,” she adds.

Another calling is charity and reaching out to the less fortunate, both with awareness-raising initiatives as well as hands on volunteering drives. “I volunteer in various charity events with the aim of informing and raising awareness on social matters,” explains Maria, “more recently, I have been an active member of charity groups that aim to strengthen volunteering, to collect money for charitable purposes, to promote diversity, social integration and equality,” she adds.

It’s incredible to note the stamina that Maria brings to both her sport and her other engagements, how she reaches out to society and leads by example, despite the challenges faced on a daily basis. Where does she find the strength?

“What really gives me so much strength to persevere is the philosophy of success, the mental fortitude to move forward in life without giving up, but also by resting, being timid, by hesitating… and to fight through the difficulties I have to face by setting new goals and dreams. Achieving these goals brings joy, moral satisfaction and gives me the drive to continue so that each of my visions can become ‘flesh and bone’. The strength I hide inside myself makes me live my every emotion intensely and helps me become wiser”.

As far as representing Cyprus on the world map of Paralympics and other international sports events, Maria estimates that for every athlete, the biggest and most important event in their career is to secure a place in the national team and to represent their country at the highest level. “Words cannot describe how we feel when we manage to surpass ourselves, stand on the podium and see the flag of our country flying around the world. We feel great emotion but at the same time, we also feel great pride,” says Maria. “We get a feeling of satisfaction because we have managed to fulfil some of our initial goals, without resting and stopping there but by persevering for something more, for something we have not yet imagined,” she adds.

“Being named an Olympian/Paralympian is a special honour, first of all for any athlete who manages to participate in a huge event, and even more so by finishing among the top eight in the world. I consider it a blessing to be called an Olympian/Paralympian and it is undoubtedly an honour,” says Maria as she urges society to recognise, honour and reward such laudable athletes as they toil daily and put in superhuman efforts to make their country proud. Yet, from a personal point of view, Maria adds: “personally, I would not say that I stand out for my feat as a Paralympian, but rather I feel moral satisfaction that I have once again achieved a high goal.”

As with a number of Paralympic athletes on the island, OPAP has played a pivotal role in her careers and achievements. “OPAP Cyprus is now a family for me, it continuously supports me throughout my journey, in my successes and failures… OPAP supports me even more (in my failures) so that I can find the mental strength to get back on my feet and return to my successes,” she says.

“With OPAP’s contribution I have the possibility to prepare in the most suitable conditions from all points of view. When you are doing a high-level sport, the conditions are quite difficult, there is psychological pressure and adversity, but OPAP Cyprus is there and supports my every effort… they believed in my talent and supported me in the most difficult moments of my career, when I was trying to qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics. I thank OPAP Cyprus for the trust it showed me, for supporting me in the most demanding struggle of my life, for believing in me and encouraging me to achieve even more success, and making our country proud.”