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Sarah White
Sarah White, a hyperactive at the Défi sportif
Even though she is only fourteen, Sarah White will have a rather busy schedule at the coming edition of the Défi sportif. A wheelchair athletics specialist, the young athlete will also be in action in the basketball and hockey tournaments.
Sarah started in athletics in September 2008 after seeing Diane Roy and Chantal Petitclerc racing on television. After contacting the Association québécoise des sports en fauteuil roulant (Quebec federation of wheelchair sports), she was rapidly able to take part in a demonstration activity. A month later, she received her first racing wheelchair and then ran her first event, a 10-kilometre race.
Not bad for someone who was only 13 at the time!
I wasn’t used to it, but I did it. There were only two girls because it was at the same time as the Paralympic Games. Last year I competed in more than 20 races
, she notes with a touch of pride in her voice.
Among others, there were the Canada Games events held in Prince Edward Island where she grabbed the silver medal in the 1500 m and the bronze in the 400 m, aside from finishing fourth in the 200 m.
Already guided by Paralympian Diane Roy, Sarah can also count on outstanding equipment. Her racing chair once belonged to Chantal Petitclerc and the wheels previously were Diane Roy’s.
I am proud to roll with that equipment! I have known Diane for about a year and she is really likeable and funny. I like working with her
, explains the Pierrefonds resident.
If the advice of the multiple paralympic medal holder is worth its weight in gold, mixing with sportspersons of a lower level is also a source of inspiration for the teenager who started in athletics at thirteen.
Everybody helps me a lot and what I like about races is that I learn something new every time. People who practice sports put in a lot of effort to reach their performances; their determination is very impressive. With hard work, you can get far
, notes the girl who trains under Richard Tétreault at Club St-Laurent Sélect.
Between now and the start of competition at the Défi sportif, Sarah will keep training on a stationary roller at the rate of two or three sessions per week, plus basketball and hockey practices and ski outings. A sport hyperactive, did you say?
It is hard to choose, because I really love sports
she concludes laughingly.
