MARDONES SEPULVEDA Francisca

Classification
F54 (IPC, 23 Mar 2021)

Type of Impairment
Impaired muscle power (Athlete, 01 Jun 2016)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (Athlete, 01 Jun 2016; emol.com, 15 Apr 2012)

Impairment Details
In 2000 she lost the mobility in her lower limbs after she fell into a ravine when Hurricane Lenny hit Culebra Island in Puerto Rico. It took two days before she was rescued, and she required four years of rehabilitation which included several operations on her spine. (Athlete, 11 Nov 2019; emol.com, 15 Apr 2012; franciscamardones.com, 01 Jan 2012)

General
SPORT SWITCH
She represented Chile in wheelchair tennis at the Paralympic Games in 2012 and 2016, but switched to Para athletics in 2017 after a domestic accident aggravated a nerve problem she had in her neck. "When doing discus throw, I use a similar technique as that of my forehand, which helps with the acceleration as well." (t13.cl, 20 Dec 2019; paralympic.org, 25 May 2018)

TRIBUTE TO FATHER
Her father died six days before she won gold with a world record throw in the F54 shot put at the 2019 World Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. She dedicated the victory to him after deciding to compete in the event. "I feel overwhelmed by emotions. I stayed here in order to compete as a tribute to him. It is so hard for me to express how I feel now after winning gold and setting the record. I'm so sad, but at the same time I'm satisfied to have given him such a tribute. I know that he would have told me to keep on competing." (emol.com, 14 Nov 2019)

MEDAL UPGRADE
She originally finished fourth in the F54 javelin event at the 2019 Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru, but in December 2020 she was upgraded to the bronze medal position following the disqualification of US competitor Sebastiana Lopez for an anti-doping rule violation at the Games in Lima. (paralympic.org, 11 Dec 2020)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
She has worked as a motivational speaker and also served as director of Ronda Chile, a non-profit organisation that supports people with an impairment integrate into society. (rondachile.cl, 30 May 2018; franciscamardones.com, 01 Jan 2012)