The Italian parabadminton champion Rosa Eformo De Marco, 23 years old – undefined
The first men’s event in the Olympic field is counterbalanced by the absolute debut in the Paralympic field. In the version with the three Agitos, the pioneer is called Rosa Efomo De Marco, Sicilian from Palermo, with a father from Agrigento and a Nigerian mother, born in 2001, born without her hand and part of her left forearm. The miracle occurred today, but it was generated a decade ago thanks to the effort of physical education teacher Salvo Plaia who convinced Rosa to take part in the student championships. «I liked it immediately, but I quickly put it aside. The thing I enjoyed most as a teenager was dancing, especially Caribbean rhythms.” Racket and shuttlecock, however, soon returned to peep out. «It was 2018 and the professor convinced me this time to try parabadminton, which I didn’t know existed». Since then it has been a never-ending climb.
“The following year, in 2019, I did the first international competition in Turkey and there I came into contact with Paralympic athletes who had the same upper limb disability as me.” Inserted in the Standing Up 5 (SU5) category, Rosa found in sport a means to fully engage in society and above all to show herself as she is: «I was born without a hand and I can’t imagine myself differently. This is my normality, since my brain doesn’t recognize my left limb and therefore I feel like myself even without a prosthesis.” Yet it wasn’t always like this: «As a child I was sociable and cheerful and I wasn’t interested in anything. As I grew up, the comments of others began to annoy me and so in my early adolescence I continually tended to hide my arm, because I could no longer stand unwanted glances” Sport was the way out of this tunnel: “Seeing others with my same disability suddenly my head opened and my mind reset the bad thoughts that had accumulated over the years. I no longer noticed how I was looked at in public, I was myself and I managed to overcome my shyness. Ultimately I think that badminton gave me courage to expose myself and made me accept disability definitively.”
This thought would be enough to be happy, but Rosa has decided to go further and start life as an athlete seriously. «In 2023 I became professional, joining the Defense Paralympic Sports Group, which I thank, but for three years I had already chosen to dedicate myself exclusively to sport. After high school I had in fact enrolled in Political Science, but it wasn’t for me. At that point I abandoned my studies and moved to Santa Marinella, near Rome, where I concentrated only on badminton.” The first Paralympic assault was unsuccessful, the second produced very sweet fruits: «Together with Enrico Galeani, coach of the Italian parabadminton national team, we set up a meticulous three-year program and among the whole national group I was the only one to detach the ticket. However, I would also like to thank my teammates who encouraged me.”
Looking back, a ribbon marked by numerous sacrifices is tied together: «I left home four years ago and in this period I will have seen my parents just once a month. Without their support, however, I wouldn’t be here” The Paralympic Games became a reality on Thursday 16 May: “When Galeani gave me the official news I couldn’t stand it, but I still didn’t have the chance to celebrate. In fact, I am in Manama, Bahrain for a tournament and will subsequently go to Scotland for another competitive event. Only in June will I have the opportunity to see relatives and friends again.” Being at the Paralympics will be an honor (“I’m the first Italian ever to participate in parabadminton, so my name will be remembered for a long time in the environment”) but also a burden: “I’m number 10 in the ranking, so I simply won’t be able to participate , but I will have to go as far as possible.”
In the SU5 category the rules of the game are the same as normal badminton: «The disability only affects one limb and we hold the racket with the other. I also participate in tournaments with able-bodied athletes and as a goal for 2024 I would like to qualify for the Italian Championships. If I could have done it I would have done it en plein.” Even though she has devoted herself to sport, dancing always remains a great passion, as do languages and religions (“I am Christian and, driven by my mother’s teachings, I like to delve into questions related to faith”), while a characteristic that distinguishes her is her gratitude: «The last two thanks are for the Paralympic Committee, which has led us to be considered like never before, and for the Italian Badminton Federation, which has also enhanced the Paralympic section».
2024-05-30 08:17:26
#Parabadminton #dance
