There will be also Messina Everyone Tokyo Paralympics, which will take place from 24 August to 5 September. To represent our city, it will be Carolina Costa, Paralympic judoka, class of ’94, qualified for the awaited competition, thanks to her exceptional performances. For the young athlete, judo is not just a simple sport: it is her reason for living and what is most beautiful and precious, her parents have passed on to her. Carolina is in fact the daughter of the former Olympic wrestler Katarzyna Juszczak and of the judo master Franco Costa, disappeared when she was only 12 years old. «My father was my column – says the blue – and losing him so soon made me great before my time. It was a bad blow, and in that moment, only judo was able to give me the strength to go on and never give up, as he had taught me ». A life lesson that Carolina treasured even later, when unfortunately, at the age of 22, she discovered that she was suffering from keratoconus, a degenerative disease of the cornea, which made her visually impaired. «I remember that I noticed that I had some visual discomfort while I was participating in the Absolute Championships – explains the Messina -, so I did some tests, and unfortunately the diagnosis did not leave much hope. I stopped for a year, undergoing various operations, but there was nothing to do ». The girl was afraid of being forced to abandon the beloved sport, which she had started practicing since she was very young, taking her first steps on the tatami. «I was afraid – confesses the twenty-seven – of having to let go of the dream of participating in the Olympics. But then, by chance, I discovered that Paralympic judo existed and that news marked my rebirth ». So once again, it was judo that saved her: “After having obtained the eligibility and enrolled in Fispic (the Italian Paralympic Sports Federation for the visually impaired and the blind) – continues Carolina -, in 2018 I played the first important competition: World Championships in Lisbon, where I finished third, winning the bronze medal ». That competition allowed her to regain her self-confidence, allowing her to subsequently reach many milestones, such as the gold medal at the Ibsa European Championships in 2019, and at the Grand Prix in Azerbaijan and at the Ibsa Grand Prix in Warwick. Challenges that have made her conquer the scores for the qualification for Tokyo and have made her first in the world ranking. Her feelings related to the next Paralympics are a mixture of emotion and fear: «I still don’t realize that I will represent Italy in Tokyo – reveals the young woman -. I will meet opponents that I have already faced, the most difficult challenge will be to reconfirm myself. What worries me most, however, is the situation linked to the pandemic ». Carolina wants to feel the warmth of her Messina, the place where she chose to stay by opening a gym where she teaches judo to the little ones: “If I were to win the medal, I would dedicate it to the people of Messina, to my loved ones and above all to my dad, who I know who would be very proud of me. ” And it is he, the “special” fan, who will support her at the Olympics from up there
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