KOTLOWSKA Faustyna

Classification
F64 (IPC, 10 Apr 2020)

Type of Impairment
Limb deficiency (Pelnosprawni, TVP, 16 Jan 2021)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (Pelnosprawni, TVP, 16 Jan 2021)

Impairment Details
In 2016 she was involved in traffic accident. She underwent several surgeries in the year after the accident as doctors tried to save her left leg, but eventually she decided to have it amputated. (Pelnosprawni, TVP, 16 Jan 2021; fakt.pl, 01 Dec 2016)

General
SPORT AIDS SELF-ACCEPTANCE
She says that after her accident she initially felt ashamed of her impairment, and would try to hide it with long and loose clothes. She said sport helped her overcome these feelings. "I was very ashamed that I had an impairment. I tried to not make my impairment visible, and I was afraid of rejection. I think that the 2018 European Championships in Berlin, Germany changed my attitude. People congratulated me and didn't treat me as a person with an impairment. Now I am not ashamed anymore that I don't have a leg. I can go out in shorts, I don't hide my impairment anymore. So sport is not only about training for me, it's also about working on yourself, on your character and self-acceptance. It's also about helping others. I know how difficult it is, so I try to motivate others and help them." (natemat.pl, 13 Jan 2021)

DISCUS PREFERENCE
She has competed in discus, shot put and javelin, but says discus has become her preferred event. "After Berlin [2018 European Championships], I was a bit tired of discus, because we trained in it every day and I just stopped liking it. But eventually this changed, maybe because of this bronze medal that I won in Berlin. Now it's my favourite discipline and my best one, so I enjoy it the most, too." (Pelnosprawni, TVP, 16 Jan 2021)