Ci ha provato fino all’ultimo, Nzingha Prescod, a lottare per la qualificazione alla sua terza Olimpiade. Ma alla fine, la fiorettista statunitense Campionessa del Mondo a squadre nel 2018 e bronzo individuale a Mosca 2015 ha dovuto alzare bandiera bianco e prendere atto che, a soli 27 anni, la sua carriera di atleta finisce qui. A fermarla un grave problema all’anca (necrosi avascolare), che la costringerà a breve a un intervento per l’innesto di una protesi.

 

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Something really tragic happened to my hip that’s majorly affected my life, mobility, and ability to fence. I’m in the end stage of a condition called avascular necrosis of my hip, which has caused my bone to die and collapse. To have perspective, I’m still healthy other than #avascularnecrosis and I’ll talk more about it later. There are obstacles a million times worse. But for me this has been a sad experience of loss. For 19 years, fencing has been my best friend, one of my oldest friends. @peterwestbrookfoundation introduced me to her & @whathebuuuck taught me how to love her. I’m incredibly lucky to have enjoyed her and have been so spoiled with her affection. She’ll always be in my heart because she offered me the most complete friendship filled with every possible emotion. Fencing knew everything about me – my best and worst habits, my most intimate details – because I gave it everything. And so it is a huge part of me. My love for fencing will never change but our relationship will now be different. In this next chapter, I’m looking forward to empowering kids from my community with this special kind of love – the priceless opportunity and satisfaction to become masters of their craft. I’m really proud of my experience in the sport and will always have fond memories. I love you all and will still be around to cheer for my team 🇺🇸

Un post condiviso da Nzingha Prescod (@nzinghap) in data: 13 Gen 2020 alle ore 4:05 PST

«Avevo letteralmente una disabilità e continuavo a tirare» ha dichiarato la stessa ex fiorettista della nazionale statunitense al portale teamusa.org, «sono felice di aver ottenuto tanti risultati e di aver capito ciò che posso rappresentare per tanti bambini di colore che potrebbero interessarsi alla scherma, essere un volto che loro riconoscono e incoraggiarli nella pratica dello sport».

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