SPORT – A bronze medal, but the gold one for self-sacrifice. Freed from the pressure of the event which took place this summer in Paris, Canadian sportswoman Gabriela Dabrowski revealed the unusual circumstances in which she prepared for her 2024 Olympic Games.
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The fault is breast cancer, “ diagnosed in mid-April » for the 32-year-old player. On Instagram, she delivered a testimony full of emotion at the conclusion of her sporting year this Tuesday, December 31. The opportunity for her to reveal the illness with which she had to deal to compete in the Paris Games, despite everything.
« What you didn't see in 2024: How can something so small cause such a big problem? This is a question I had to ask myself when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I know this will be a shock to many but I'm ok and I'm going to be ok. Early diagnosis can save lives ».
« Cancer. These are the words you never hope to hear. And in an instant, your life and that of your loved ones are turned upside down “, also wrote the bronze medalist, who exempts her subscribers from “ two surgeries and recovery » that she had to endure in her story.
Unable to raise my arm
But to participate in the Olympic Games, she chose to postpone her treatment slightly to continue Wimbledon and the Games in Paris. A strategy which resulted in a final in London and a medal in Paris, in mixed tennis thanks to his association with Félix Augger-Aliassime.
As for the timing of this sudden revelation, she explains being in “ a period where (she) better understands my treatment, its side effects and how to manage them.” A way for her to share her story when others “don’t even have the opportunity to share” theirs. “Cancer I say fuck you, but, also, thank you », she concluded to highlight her life learning during this ordeal.
In her message, the Canadian sportswoman also included a little anecdote, which with hindsight takes on a whole new dimension. “ Patrick Daciek (former player turned coach and close to the player) needed to throw the ball for me on serves because I couldn't raise my arm high enough,” she said. An anecdote that took place during training, “two weeks before” the Nottingham tournament. British competition which she finally won in doubles against the pair Harriet Dart-Diane Parry.
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