When Adiaratou Iglesias crossed the finish line at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, she did not know she had bagged a gold and a silver medal in the women’s 100-metre and 400-metre T13 races, respectively, until she was told.
The Spanish athlete, who goes by Adi, was born in Mali with albinism, a genetic condition that inhibits the production of the melanin molecules that pigment people’s skin, hair and eyes. Albinism impairs her visual perception by 90%, allowing her to see around 20% with thick corrective eyewear.
“I don’t know anything when I cross the finish line because I can’t see what’s on my sides and I’m not checking, since I’m so focused on the competition when I’m running that I don’t look,” the 25-year-old told Reuters.
Iglesias, who sports a tattoo of the Tokyo 2020 logo on her wrist, said she dreamed of hearing her family again shout “gold” when completing her races in Paris, though she had already achieved “everything I had wished for” as an athlete.
Iglesias, who sports a tattoo of the Tokyo 2020 logo on her wrist and expects a new one for Paris 2024, could not have her family at the stadium due to the coronavirus pandemic, so she was really excited about seeing her adoptive mum Lina in the French capital.
Originally from Mali, Iglesias recounted how her biological parents decided to send her to Spain when she was 11 to prevent her from suffering attacks based on her albinism.
In some countries in sub-Saharan Africa, people with albinism are at times killed for their body parts, which are prized in ritual witchcraft for use as amulets or ingredients in magic potions.
After spending two years at a children’s shelter in the northern Spanish city of Logrono, Iglesias was adopted in 2013 and moved to Lugo.
“My life would’ve been quite different if I hadn’t met my (adoptive) mother Lina,” said Iglesias. “Without her support, this never would’ve been possible.”
Lina, 60, held back tears and beamed with pride when asked what it would mean to hug her daughter after winning in Paris. “It’d be a big thrill for me, but not much more than what I feel each time I see her run or win.”
Last year, Iglesias – who declares herself a fan of tennis star Rafael Nadal – was invited by the European Commission to talk about combating hate speech and hate crimes.
Despite spending most of her time at a high-performance centre for elite athletes in Madrid, she wants to keep her medals – which include two golds won at the 2021 European Championships and two silvers from the 2019 World Championships – inside her childhood room in Lugo.
