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Journalism of Courage
While the World Para Athletics Championship at New Delhi ended on Sunday evening, 22-year-old Joel Gomez, a men’s 1500m T13 champion, was back in USA – to resume studying. Gomez will appear for his final year exams in Civil Engineering from Purdue University in Indiana. He also gives private lessons in Ukulele, a four-string guitar, and has recorded a song ‘Running Blind.’ Born with blue cone monochromacy, a genetic disorder causing severe colour blindness, Gomez had to give up on soccer as his deteriorating vision made it tough to track the ball.
“I have a big passion for architecture as well as the hospitality industry, and my degree in Civil Engineering helps me in bridging between these two interests,” Gomez told The Indian Express adding the song was about how with one door closing, another will always open. He also remains focussed on medalling at LA Olympics. “Timing, math, and discipline have always been a backbone to sport, music and engineering,” Gomez explains reasons for his success in all three.
Unlike their able bodied counterparts who land massive endorsements at the top level, para athletes – even the world beaters – need day jobs and real degrees to get through in life.
Indian para champions too straddle regular jobs with their sports careers. Ekta Bhyan, who won silver in the women’s club throw F51 event, had cleared the Haryana Civil Services Exam in 2013 and is now assistant director with the department of employment, Haryana. “My job, where I work on government employment policies, also gives me an opportunity to raise awareness about Paralympics as well how to include such sportspersons in Haryana,” Bhyan says. 32-year-old Sandip Sargar, who was crowned javelin F44 champ, works as a tax assistant in Income Tax office in Mumbai. He trains mostly in Pune and attends office in between competitions and training.
Britisher Victoria Jade Levitt, who won gold in the T44 100m and silver in 200m T44 final on Sunday, juggles her retail job at Tesco in Mansfield with admin work for a charity for specially-abled Sense. Back home, a busy holiday season awaits with X-mas sales at the supermart chain.
The 29-year-old Levitt had suffered leg injuries in a running accident before she started her career in para track events in England, but her two other roles keep her going in life. “Ofcourse, it’s difficult to balance things,” she says. She trains at Nottingham and spends a day per week managing work for the charity Sense traveling in the north apart from managing administration, giving it 12 to 40 hours per week. It’s three days per week work at Tesco though with Christmas coming, that job will be priority in coming days. “One always meets interesting people in retail and I enjoy the conversations especially with the older generation. I guess the customers there would be glad to meet a Para World champion at the store,” shares Levitt.
Team-mate Bebe Jackson, from Harlow, currently residing in Stansted, Essex, won bronze in women’s 100m T44 final and works as a children nurse with the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust. She suffers from congenital talipes equinovarus commonly termed as club foot. “I work in a 12.5 hour shift for the NHS Trust as a children’s nurse. The place where I stay is 45 minutes away from the hospital and I train at Woodford under coach Allan James. Yes, travel is tough but then I tell the children that it’s going to be alright and believe I can inspire with this medal too,” shared Jackson.
American Taylor Swanson, who was adopted by her parents at the age of six months from Korea, would be raised in Seattle before she shifted base to Spokane, Washington. She could have represented South Korean track and field, before she decided to run for the USA. While she suffered a knee injury in 2014, Swanson would suffer frequent falls and tests in 2023 diagnosed the reason to cerebral palsy.
Swanson took it in her stride, named two of her 6-7 ankle braces as Lightning and Thunder, and won silver in women’s 100m T37 final as well as bronze in the 200m T37 final this week. The 32-year-old, who trains under coach David Greig, would be returning to Spokane, where she works as an office administrator for Evergreen Prosthetics and Orthotics. “Well, I have not got Thunder and Lightning here but running with different braces. (Laughs). But then winning the medal adds to my confidence. I was given for adoption when I was born and I have been lucky that I was adopted. I competed in soccer in high school but used to have falls and accidents. After being diagnosed, I started competing in para track events,” she recall. Scheduling and insurance authorisation are her work roles and her degree in justice and personnel health work to her advantage.
21-year-old Canadian Katie Pegg, who won bronze in the women’s shotput F46 final, is currently a student of biology and forensic sciences at St Mary University in Halifax. Pegg, who grew fond of crime detective series Bones, is a full time student as well as para athlete and attends ten courses in a year. “Watching the crime series, I always wanted to be a homicide detective. I have wanted to be able to help people to bring them justice and that was my thought behind pursuing this degree. Well post this medal, I will be spending time on studying my favourite subject Forensic Anthropology and I plan to be a homicide detective too apart from my Paralympic career,” shares Pegg.
Tokyo and Paris Paralympics Long Jump T38 champion Luca Ekler would suffer a brain stroke leaving her left side of body paralysed at the age of ten. Growing up in Szombathely, Ekler would then shift base to Budapest and started competing in para sports in 2019. The Hungarian won the women’s long jump T38 title in Delhi with a world record of 5.91m and bronze in women’s 200m T38 final. Back in Budapest, Ekler is a senior lecturer in Hungarian Sports Science University.
“I believe in raising the awareness as well as technical things for athletes, coaches as well as other students who help the Paralympic cause. Apart from teaching lessons, I am also involved in lots of seminars imparting knowledge about para and charting courses for recreation for disabled people in Hungary. And when I am not teaching, I am on track with my coach training for long jump as well as 200m. This world record means a lot to me and will help me on the road to become the champion in the LA Paralympics,” shared Ekler.
