Canada’s Sarah Melenka, competing in her very first Paralympic Video games, was fairly happy that her staff secured its place within the ultimate 4 of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Video games girls’s sitting volleyball, following their defeat of Rwanda on Monday at North Paris Area.
Speaking to World ParaVolley after the match, whereas holding a bouquet of flowers from her fiancé, the Canadian star mirrored on balancing her focus between the sport and drawing consolation from family members.
“It’s good to have that reset within the crowd everytime you want, in case you do want them. And it’s additionally straightforward to simply have the ability to ignore them and simply do the factor that you simply got here right here to do. It’s nice to have a mix of each,” Melenka stated.
Reaching the semi-finals of the Paralympic Video games has been a big milestone for Melenka. “It feels so good,” she stated. “I used to be sitting on the courtroom considering that I simply need to play extra volleyball, and much more, as a result of this solely comes round as soon as each 4 years. You’ve acquired to get pleasure from each single level, irrespective of how good it feels or irrespective of how dangerous it feels. Truthfully, I’m simply embracing each single level and each single second that Paris has for me.”
After struggling a stress fracture in her proper leg whereas enjoying volleyball, she shifted to sitting volleyball, finally incomes a spot on the Canadian nationwide staff.
Melenka not too long ago graduated from acupuncture college and is each a therapeutic massage therapist and an acupuncturist—a profession she was impressed to pursue after experiencing the advantages of those therapies throughout her personal harm restoration.
“I simply graduated from acupuncture college as effectively, so I’m a therapeutic massage therapist and an acupuncturist,” she defined. “I went into that area understanding simply how a lot they’ve helped me after my accidents and simply getting again into sport. I simply need to assist all the opposite athletes on the market really feel their finest and have the ability to compete at their finest. I actually love my job.”
However for now, her focus is on successful Canada’s first-ever Paralympic medal in sitting volleyball. Talking of the rigorous preparations that introduced her staff so far, Melenka added: “Our staff centralises out of Edmonton. The staff is throughout Canada, however our residence base is Edmonton, and I’m simply fortunate sufficient to be dwelling there. We have now the top coach and assistant coaches in Edmonton with me, together with three different athletes. It’s straightforward for us to get collectively for apply,” she stated.
“Earlier than we got here right here, we have been practising 5 days per week on courtroom, together with further coaching. After which, we’ve another able-bodied gamers coming to play alongside, like my fiancé and a few our greatest associates. They arrive and compete with us simply to offer us that additional sport strain.”
Whether or not on the courtroom or in her work as a therapist, Melenka is pushed by a dedication to offer her finest and help these round her, understanding that each her passions gas one another.
Photograph: WPV/Sinisa Kanizaj.
