A Seddon athlete with an uplifting tale is taking her talents back to the world stage.
Margherita Coppolino will join Team Australia at the World Dwarf Games in Canada in August, hoping to add more medals to the gold and silver she collected in the sport of boccia in 2013.
As well as backing up in boccia, Coppolino will be compete in power lifting for the first time.
“I’m turning 57 at the games, I thought I would take up power lifting as a challenge,” she said.
“I train three times a week at Exercise Room in Footscray – the weight training has been really good for me.”
Coppolino is hoping to raise the profile of people with short stature in a bid to convince sports authorities to take their wish to be included in organised sports more seriously.
“We have short-statured people who actually run marathons, as well as being involved in swimming and power lifting and basketball,” she said. “Sport is really important for people feeling isolation or with mental health issues – it has pulled me out of some very dark places.”
The seventh World Dwarf Games will be held from August 5-12 in Ontario, Canada.
