At 22 years old, Luca Ekler's dream is coming true – representing her country at the Paralympics.
After a year of delays and years more training she's a firm favorite to bring home three gold medals for Hungary in short-distance running and the long jump at Tokyo 2020.
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Luca grew up in western Hungary in family full of talented athletes. Her mother was a swimmer and volleyball player, her father competed in athletics, excelling at long jump and triple jump – and all three of her brothers play a high level of water polo.
When Luca was 10 she suffered a stroke that left her needing to use a wheelchair, she worked hard to get back walking and running, before seeing para-athletics broadcast at the 2017 World Championships. It was then she realized she, too, could compete on the world stage. "That's when my classification process started, I went to my first race, which was a success and very quickly I found myself in the group of para-athletes," Luca told CGTN Europe.
After winning two gold medals and a silver, and setting two world records at the European championships in June, Luca is a firm favorite heading into the Paralympic Games.
She was pleased but also surprised to come away with such strong results in the lead up – it's given her confidence heading into the Games. "One of my biggest dreams is coming true with being able to participate in the Paralympics in Tokyo. I hope I can hear the Hungarian anthem again, that would make me very happy," she said.
Her coach Laszlo Szalma is an Olympian and European champion. He believes the delay to the Tokyo Games and the restricted experience will affect different athletes, but that won't be revealed until they hit the track.
Luca looks on the bright side, telling CGTN Europe it gave her more time to focus on longer running events. However the Games will be run under strict coronavirus measures, with masks, social distancing and no crowds or family there to cheer her on.
While Luca's family will be at home in Hungary, she says she'll feel them in spirit and hopes they will be by her side come the Paris Games in a few years' time.
While she's hoping to come home a medalist, Luca's also focused on raising the profile of para-sport and supporting her community.
"If I can motivate just one person it's already worth it. I hope we can reach Hungarian para-sportspeople and disabled sportspeople and we can motivate them, too. More and more people will join us and social equality might grow," she said.
Luca's already achieved one dream by heading to the Games and her performances are inspiring the next generation. Her growing profile and success are giving young para-athletes someone to look up to, something she struggled to find just a few years ago.