Tokyo 2021: Susana Rodriguez, Paralympic champion and doctor committed against Covid-19

Published on : 09/02/2021 – 11:35

Susana Rodriguez is a national heroine in Spain. For her return from Tokyo, the Paralympic triathlon champion was welcomed, Wednesday, September 1, with honors at Vigo airport.

“Happy is the word, there is no other”, she declared on her arrival. according to the newspaper La Voz de Galicia. The last few months have indeed not been easy. The sportswoman, a doctor by profession, had to prepare for the Paralympic Games while facing the Covid-19 pandemic: “It was hard. There were difficulties for everyone because of the virus.”

“The Covid was very serious”

Susana Rodriguez was born blind 33 years ago due to her albinism and optic nerve disease. This does not prevent him from following his dreams. As a teenager, she studied medicine and, at the same time, practiced high-level sport.

When the pandemic breaks out at the beginning of 2020, she is stationed in a hospital in Santiago de Compostela. As she told AFP, she realizes very quickly that “the Covid was very serious, from the start”.

She then uses her specialization in physical medicine and rehabilitation and helps patients recover from the most serious infections. “I was also afraid of catching the Covid”, admits the triathlete who had finished 5th at the Rio Games in triathlon.

The sportswoman decides to give her all for her patients. “It was very difficult. People would ask me if I preferred sports or medicine, and I never knew what to say, although sport was my passion. But health is the most important thing for all of us. morning, I see people dying and know that it will get worse “, she explained at the time. for the official website of the Paralympic Games.

“Behind sport, there is humanity”

When she learns that the Games are finally postponed for a year, it is relief: “I was really waiting for the news of the postponement to be announced because I thought that the Paralympic Games could not be celebrated in the middle of a world with such a big public health problem. It confirms that behind sport there is humanity. “

Despite the energy expended in the hospital, Susana Rodriguez tries to keep in shape. She has not lost sight of her goal. She spends hours on her treadmill and stationary bike between two guards to prepare herself as best she can for the Paralympic Games. “I believe that sport has helped me every day to get up to be able to face work the next day”, she explained to the Times, which she covered last July.

In addition to the Covid, Susana Rodriguez is indeed going through another ordeal at the beginning of 2020, when she was diagnosed with a genetic heart disease and that she must undergo special treatment. “I did not know if I could continue to practice the sport at a professional level”, she testifies. But “the cardiology team at my hospital has been a great help, advising me in my decisions.”

His determination pays off. In Tokyo, she took the top step of the triathlon podium alongside her guide Sara Loehr. They shared this moment together, hand in hand, a triumphant smile on their faces after difficult months. “In the world of sport, it’s worth more than anything (her gold medal, Editor’s note),” she said on Saturday after her victory, explaining that she “did her homework” by training hard.

Susana Rodiguez made a double mark in history. She also became the first Spanish Paralympic athlete to compete in two disciplines at the same Games as she also competed in the 1,500m (T11 category) on Sunday, where she took 5th place.

Asked about her future by Voz de Galicia, Susana remained evasive: “The Games are physically and mentally demanding and now I need a few weeks to digest everything and think about it. This future you are referring to (Paris 2024) does not is not yet decided. ”

With AFP