Nélia Barbosa is a para athlete, kayaking specialist.
Born on October 8, 1998 in Lisbon, Nélia Barbosa, a kayaker, spent 8 and a half years in Portugal, her country of birth. At the age of 15 months, she was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis in her right ankle. For several years, she had to live with it. During a camp in Corsica, Nélia fell in love with canoeing and decided to join the Champigny-sur-Marne club in Val-de-Marne. Unfortunately, in 2017, the athlete’s life was turned upside down when she was told that her ankle would have to be amputated due to complications. As a result, she threw herself into kayaking. “It’s a passion that I’ve had since I was 12 and that I discovered at summer camp. Despite having my right leg amputated in 2017 due to a genetic disease, neurofibromatosis, I continued with the help of a carbon prosthesis. My specialty? The 200-meter road race, which I do in 46 or 47 seconds. But whatever the time, I have to be in front!”
Gold goal in Paris
“Obviously, after winning a silver medal, all you want is to do better. And today, I train every day to do better afterwards. The interest of sport is that when you go to a competition you don’t know who will win. Today, if I go to a competition, it’s also to have fun with my competitors. Top athletes are big kids! Explains the Frenchwoman for France Info.
Awards
- 2024 World Championship Bronze Medal
- 2024 European Championships Silver Medal
- 2023 World Championship Silver Medal
- 2022 Silver Medal at the European Championships (Munich, Germany)
- 2022 World Championship Silver Medal (Dartmouth, Canada)
- 2021 World Championship Bronze Medal (Copenhagen, Denmark)
- 2021 Paralympic Games Silver Medal (Tokyo, Japan)
- 2021 World Cup Silver Medal (Szeged, Hungary)
- 2020 World Cup Gold Medal (Szeged, Hungary)
- 2019 Bronze Medal Tests Event (Tokyo, Japan)
- 2019 Silver Medal at the European Championships (Poznan, Poland)