Paris 2024: Why Tamara Leonelli’s disability is her pride

Tamara Leonelli was only expected to live for 24 hours, but 26 years later, she says that “science was a bit wrong”. She is now a Para table tennis player, representing Chile on the biggest stage. Paris 2024 will be her second Paralympic Games – one competitor in a field of 281 athletes in 31 medal events, the third biggest at the Games.  

“I like that table tennis is an individual sport, but it can also be played in a team,” she said. “It can be in doubles and mixed (doubles). You train together with someone, but you can play individually but it’s better when you train with a team.” 

Home away from home  

Leonelli, who was born with spina bifida, started doing sports as part of rehabilitation at an institution that works with children with disabilities. But she says Para table tennis eventually “became my life.” 

“I’m happy. I really love what I do. It is true I can’t move that much from the waist down, or I don’t have that much sensitivity. But I lead a completely normal life.  

“As is obvious, I play table tennis. I’m very happy. I believe that my disability has been my greatest pride and my greatest ability.” 

But playing sport at an elite level often requires a lot of sacrifices. Many athletes spend time on the road to travel to competitions, often missing time with family and friends.  

For Leonelli, it meant she had to move away from her family at the age of 16 and start a new life in Santiago, eight hours from her hometown Temuco. 

“That was one of the biggest challenges because I couldn’t see them, and I had to train practically alone without the possibility for my family to follow me or watch me in person,” she said.  

“But in spite of everything, it is also beautiful.” 

To be continued 

Her journey in Para sport has been “very long” she says. “(It’s been) fully of good and bad things. Not everything in life is a straight line, I wish it was like that, but it is not.  

“I believe that we have to go through a lot of bad things before we reach that goal - there is a lot of training, dedication and perseverance.” 

She made her Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020, playing in two matches at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.  

“The truth is that for me, Tokyo meant very nice things but also very bitter ones. I was very pleased with myself because I was able to compete in a very difficult group, but I actually took advantage of it afterwards. I think it was good. 

“I had the experience of going to my first Paralympic Games, so I think that all in all, it was good and we are going to go for more for sure.” 

At the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games, she won a gold medal in front of her family. Now she is ready to take the spotlight in Paris, where she will compete in the mixed doubles and the women’s singles. 

“The expectations I have for Paris are very favourable. Now we are all very well prepared. Of course we will still prepare, but I think it will be much better than Tokyo. That’s what I trained for all these years.”  

After Tokyo 2020 was held without spectators because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Leonelli is looking forward to competing in front of a huge crowd in Paris. 

“It is vital to count on the audience. They are important because they give you all the support – it’s a huge help,” she said. “Now I believe that we will do much better in Paris because there will be support, there will be people.” 

Change starts with sport 

As Leonelli makes her final preparations for the Games, she reflects on how much Para sport has changed her life.  

“It has changed my life too much. I think it was the biggest change in my life because I started playing Paralympic table tennis 10 years ago.”  

Before taking up the sport, she only dedicated her time to studying.  

“I had nothing else to do. I only studied and did not have an active life. Now, as you can see, I spend the year travelling, competing, and training. I think I have changed for the better.”