Journey To Tokyo
2/7/2023 10:25:00 AM | Spiritual Formation
Written by: Liza Corso
My journey to the Tokyo Paralympics was a little different than most people's. Usually from a young age, Paralympic athletes are dreaming of one day competing at the Paralympics. For me, that was not the case. I didn't even know what the Paralympics were until 2 years before the games. I was born with a genetic disorder called Oculocutaneous Albinism. This means that I don't have any pigment in my hair, skin, and eyes. Pigment plays an important role in the optic nerve and without it, the optic nerve does not function properly. This has caused me to have low vision. I grew up playing sports like everyone else and I never let my vision get in the way of accomplishing my goals. I played various sports, but ended up loving running. In my sophomore year of high school, a local news station did a story about me running with low vision. Someone saw the video and reached out asking if I was trying to qualify for the Paralympics. I had no idea what the Paralympics were, but I did a little research and my dream of competing in the Tokyo Paralympic Games began. A few months later, they were postponed by a year due to COVID. Then in June of 2021, I qualified for the Tokyo Games in the 1500m.
I faced many challenges when trying to qualify for Tokyo, but it was also one of the best experiences of my life. One of the main challenges I faced was logistically qualifying during COVID. The pandemic caused there to be fewer race opportunities as well as strict protocols. I was also very new to the Paralympics, so I had to figure out which races I needed to compete in and where I needed to travel to, all while finishing my senior year of high school. The training was also challenging because I was trying to peak for my high school state meets and the Paralympic Team Trials, which were a month after my high school season ended.
My favorite part of the Tokyo experience was feeling the love of my friends and family who supported me. I was overwhelmed by the number of messages of encouragement I received before and after I raced. There was also something so special about racing with "USA" written across my jersey. Walking out into a giant stadium and racing people from all over the world was nothing like I have ever experienced before. When I stood on the podium, I wasn't just representing myself, but also my country and all those who supported me along the way.
In every aspect of my running career, God has always played an important role. During the two years leading up to Tokyo, I was constantly praying that if it was God's will for me to qualify, then He would provide the means and opportunities for me to do so. At every step of the process, He did just that. He opened one door after another and I felt His presence in every opportunity. God has also shown me His presence in the way He used this opportunity to make me more confident in the person that I am having low vision. Growing up I was very hesitant to tell people I had low vision because I was scared, they would view me differently. I never wanted anyone to think that my vision would hold me back from accomplishing my goals and therefore I hid it. I truly believe that God gave me my running ability to not only help me become more accepting of my vision, but to be an example to other young athletes with low vision that they can work hard to accomplish their goals. I want to use the platform that I have as a Paralympian to show God's love and faithfulness to others.
My journey to the Tokyo Paralympics was a little different than most people's. Usually from a young age, Paralympic athletes are dreaming of one day competing at the Paralympics. For me, that was not the case. I didn't even know what the Paralympics were until 2 years before the games. I was born with a genetic disorder called Oculocutaneous Albinism. This means that I don't have any pigment in my hair, skin, and eyes. Pigment plays an important role in the optic nerve and without it, the optic nerve does not function properly. This has caused me to have low vision. I grew up playing sports like everyone else and I never let my vision get in the way of accomplishing my goals. I played various sports, but ended up loving running. In my sophomore year of high school, a local news station did a story about me running with low vision. Someone saw the video and reached out asking if I was trying to qualify for the Paralympics. I had no idea what the Paralympics were, but I did a little research and my dream of competing in the Tokyo Paralympic Games began. A few months later, they were postponed by a year due to COVID. Then in June of 2021, I qualified for the Tokyo Games in the 1500m.
I faced many challenges when trying to qualify for Tokyo, but it was also one of the best experiences of my life. One of the main challenges I faced was logistically qualifying during COVID. The pandemic caused there to be fewer race opportunities as well as strict protocols. I was also very new to the Paralympics, so I had to figure out which races I needed to compete in and where I needed to travel to, all while finishing my senior year of high school. The training was also challenging because I was trying to peak for my high school state meets and the Paralympic Team Trials, which were a month after my high school season ended.
My favorite part of the Tokyo experience was feeling the love of my friends and family who supported me. I was overwhelmed by the number of messages of encouragement I received before and after I raced. There was also something so special about racing with "USA" written across my jersey. Walking out into a giant stadium and racing people from all over the world was nothing like I have ever experienced before. When I stood on the podium, I wasn't just representing myself, but also my country and all those who supported me along the way.
In every aspect of my running career, God has always played an important role. During the two years leading up to Tokyo, I was constantly praying that if it was God's will for me to qualify, then He would provide the means and opportunities for me to do so. At every step of the process, He did just that. He opened one door after another and I felt His presence in every opportunity. God has also shown me His presence in the way He used this opportunity to make me more confident in the person that I am having low vision. Growing up I was very hesitant to tell people I had low vision because I was scared, they would view me differently. I never wanted anyone to think that my vision would hold me back from accomplishing my goals and therefore I hid it. I truly believe that God gave me my running ability to not only help me become more accepting of my vision, but to be an example to other young athletes with low vision that they can work hard to accomplish their goals. I want to use the platform that I have as a Paralympian to show God's love and faithfulness to others.
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