
A Life-Changing Accident
One day while waiting for someone on her scooter in Paris, Pauline Déroulède was rammed by a 92-year-old man who had made a wayward car steering. Pauline had her left leg amputated as a consequence of the accident.
Although, she hadn’t been trying to apply it at ‘action’ level from the start of the series, her will power to make this a success story after a tragedy was quite visible in the offing. As she lay in the hospital, her thoughts were already set on a new goal.
categorised in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. It can be remembered that at the birth of a new dream, once longed for high hopes appear obtainable.
Pauline therefore did not take long to declare her ambitions of competing in the Paralympics. She went on to explain how she let the dream of competing in Paris 2024 simmer to become an obsession in interviews with French newspapers. This new dream helped her a lot to cope up with the difficult months that she had in recovering and rehabilitating from the incident.
From a tennis instructor to a Paralympic player
The main character, Pauline, before the accident graduated as a tennis instructor. It is difficult to even imagine going from average Joe to super athletic contender of the highest rank. However, her passion to the Paralympic Games made her be determined to go through the journey.
Her chance arrived when the “La Relève” detection program instituted by the Fédération Française handisport and the French Paralympic and Sports Committee picked her. It was through this programme that she was able to commence training for the wheelchair tennis match from September 2019.
The Path to Recovery As Excruciating as They Come
Patricia Johnson’s life was anything from a smooth sail. Leisure athlete to elite athlete demanded discipline and hard work in preparation in order to compete at the highest level. She used many hours daily on practice and even torturing herself at moments. Nevertheless she did not lose focus of her dream of competing in upcoming tennis matches in Paris 2024 Olympics.
Climbing the World Rankings
Image credit: Reuters[/caption]
Looking at the year 2022 Pauline was rewarded by her efforts she had to lay in order to succeed. She was classified at position 23 in the world and her goal was to achieve a place among the top twenty players. She nevertheless covers the typical story of having to rise from the bottom to the top in tennis league.
Excerpts from Making a Mark: Semifinals of Roland Garros
In June 2023, Pauline hit the career landmark of victory in her first Grand Slam match at Roland Garros. She dispatched Japan’s Shiori Funamizu— a taste of what the world could see of her in the future. Pauline was up against a fairly formidable enemy in the quarter final- the Dutch player Diede De Groot; however her spirit was not dampened.
The Pursuit of Excellence
This is evident from Pauline’s daily schedule having trainings and other related activities all through. The practise session takes her two to four hours on the tennis court besides the 2 extra hours that she takes in the physical preparation bit. From physical practice to mental workout, all her training.
schedules are so rigourously programmed that laboratory tests included. This includes custom built wheelchair that speaks a lot about her willingness to go to an extra mile when it comes to details.
Advocating for Road Safety
Together with sports, Pauline is focused on the projects connected with road safety. What happened to her compels her to actively call for the introduction of an assessment called the fitness-to-drive test, particularly to old age motorists who are 65 years old and above.
This mission proves her passion to ensure others do not undergo the same petty experiences as her when she was young; this reveals her callistics off the playing court.
Reference: https://olympics.com/en/news/paris-2024-paralympics-they-will-give-us-chills-pauline-deroulede
