Canada’s Sarah Melenka, competing in her very first Paralympic Video games, was fairly happy that her crew secured its place within the remaining 4 of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Video games ladies’s sitting volleyball, following their defeat of Rwanda on Monday at North Paris Enviornment.
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, if you happen to do want them. And it’s additionally straightforward to only be capable of ignore them and simply do the factor that you just got here right here to do. It’s nice to have a combination of each,” Melenka mentioned.
Reaching the semi-finals of the Paralympic Video games has been a major milestone for Melenka. “It feels so good,” she mentioned. “I used to be sitting on the court docket pondering 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 obtained to take pleasure in each single level, regardless of how good it feels or regardless of how unhealthy 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 taking part in volleyball, she shifted to sitting volleyball, finally incomes a spot on the Canadian nationwide crew.
Melenka just lately graduated from acupuncture faculty 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 faculty as nicely, 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 greatest and be capable of compete at their greatest. I actually love my job.”
However for now, her focus is on profitable Canada’s first-ever Paralympic medal in sitting volleyball. Talking of the rigorous preparations that introduced her crew up to now, Melenka added: “Our crew centralises out of Edmonton. The crew is throughout Canada, however our residence base is Edmonton, and I’m simply fortunate sufficient to be dwelling there. We’ve got the top coach and assistant coaches in Edmonton with me, together with three different athletes. It’s straightforward for us to get collectively for observe,” she mentioned.
“Earlier than we got here right here, we have been practising 5 days per week on court docket, together with extra coaching. After which, now we have another able-bodied gamers coming to play alongside, like my fiancé and a few our greatest buddies. They arrive and compete with us simply to offer us that additional sport strain.”
Whether or not on the court docket or in her work as a therapist, Melenka is pushed by a dedication to offer her greatest and assist these round her, understanding that each her passions gasoline one another.
Picture: WPV/Sinisa Kanizaj.
