In June 2017, Sofia Gonzalez took part in her first organized race, the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Nottwill, Switzerland. Just four years later, she will be at the Tokyo Paralympic Games 2021. How does she know this? Because that’s her goal – and she won’t let anything stand in her way.
Despite having her leg amputated at three years old, Sofia only ever wanted to set her own limits. Then in 2016 she discovered Ottobock's running prostheses – “bladerunners”, as they’re commonly known – and began training at an athletics club. She was instantly hooked. And she’s never looked back.
In the 2019 World Championships in Dubai, she set a new personal best in the 100m, taking a strong fifth place (missing fourth by only six hundredths of a second). She also increased her PB in the long jump, her second discipline. Thanks to these performances, she was named Allianz Newcomer of the Year Award at the Swiss Paralympic Night 2019.
Like all her previous successes, these recent achievements have only added fuel to the fire of her Olympic ambitions. Read on to find out about the unique support and inspiration that’s driving Sofia to go further, to go faster, and, hopefully, to go all the way to Tokyo.