Paralympic Champion: Annette Roozen
Over the years, disabled people have proven to the world that they are capable of being accomplished and award winning athletes. They have forged ahead in proving this fact by setting up the Paralympic Games and showing that an event competed by disabled
athletes can be just as exciting as one done by able bodied ones. Innovations in technology have really helped in this regard and with better medical advice and newer methods of training, disabled athletics has come a long way. One disabled athlete who does
not let anything slow her down is Annette Roozen. This paraplegic athlete has made a name for herself by having a never give up attitude and looks all set to continue with it for many years to come.
Annette Roozen is a Dutch athlete who competes in the 100m event as well as in the long jump. What is interesting about her is that she is a paraplegic athlete who is without her right leg. When she was sixteen years old, Roozen had to have her right leg
amputated by a condition known as osteosarcoma which is a precursor to bone cancer. She must have suffered a great feeling of loss those early years but she did not let it stop her and five years later a visit to a conference sparked an interest in athletics.
The conference was about the advances in prosthetics and their increased use in the world of disabled sports. She decided to give sports a try.
After practicing for a few years and getting herself ready for competition, the young Dutch athlete entered her first event. That first event was the European Championships which were held in Assen and she managed to win the 100m race in a record setting
time of 18.11 seconds. She also competed in the long jump and managed to win a bronze medal in the event. Over the next few years she continued to win championships and medals all over the world.
In 2005, she won her first national titles at the Dutch National Championships. She won both the 100m race and the long jump at the event. The very next day she competed in the FBK-Games and increased her personal best long jump distance to 3.55 metres.
This feat also became the national long jump record for that year. She continued her successful run, literally, when she broke the World Record for the 100m and achieved a new WR by posting a time of 16.90 seconds. She was crowned double world champion in
both the 100m and the long jump in 2006. At the World Championships for that year held in Assen, she achieved a time of 16.91 in the 100m and a distance of 3.49 in the long jump.
She competed at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics and achieved a silver medal in the 100m race as well as the long jump. She has won many awards and distinctions in her life and is a true inspiration for other disabled athletes. Many people say that disabled
athletes are difficult to coach and prepare for the tough life of sports, but with the right sort of coaching and the right type of training methods, a disabled athlete can accomplish great things just as Roozen has proved in her life. She has shown that no
matter what sort of affliction is holding people back, through hard work and the right sort of training they can achieve anything they put their minds to. All disabled athletes like all able bodied ones, respond to different stimuli and a coach has to be able
to tap into their hidden potential and figure out what works for them and help them get to the top of their sport.
At the age of 34, Roozen has achieved a great deal in her life and is a true inspiration to other disabled athletes in the world. She is an extremely talented athlete and those young people just getting into the field of sports should look at her life and
try and emulate it. It looks likely that we will be hearing more from this great athlete in the next few years as she cannot stay out of the limelight for too long.
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