“A richer life to me means that you are surrounded by amazing people that support you and love you.”
Photo @sofiaagonzzalez
A “one-to-watch” Paralympic athlete, specialising in the 100m sprint and long jump.
Sofia’s motto is simple: my difference is my attitude. Born with a congenital leg malformation, her right leg was amputated at three years old. Despite this situation, it has never prevented Sofia from being an active young woman who has always taken part in a lot of different sports, including horse riding, dancing, tennis and skiing. However the notion of becoming a professional athlete did not cross her mind until 2016 where she discovered a sports blade to help her run, whilst taking part in an Ottobock 'run + play' sport camp for people using prosthetic limbs. Here she trained with German Para athlete Heinrich Popow, whom she often cites as the most influential person in her career.
Her first competition was in 2017 aged only 16, and the following year, Sofia entered her first international competition: the European Para Athletics Championships in Berlin. In 2019, Sofia qualified for the World Championships in Dubai. She set a new personal long jump record (3.60m) and only narrowly missed out on the final. In her discipline of choice, the 100m, Sofia also improved on her best result and finished in a remarkable fifth place. Sofia is now training for the postponed Tokyo Paralympics, taking place in 2021.
Sofia's excellent sporting performances were recognised with the Allianz Newcomer Award of the Year at the 2019 Swiss Paralympic Night Gala.