Ania Płoszyńska – The Champion then and today

Black belt in karate and ambitious plans for the future

Before the accident, Ania, still an able-bodied person, attended high school. She didn’t have any specific plans for her adult life. She only knew that she wanted to study at the Medical University. She took an active part in many school events and thrived in sports. From the age of 13, she practiced karate at the Bassai club in Uniejów.

From the first training she knew that this was something for her and she really wanted to achieve more and more. She reached black belt in karate, an impressive achievement, and then won the title of Polish Champion, as well as silver and gold medals in the European Cup.

“Sport has certainly shaped my character. It taught me perseverance, persistence in pursuing a goal and inner strength that helped me cope when my life turned upside down…” recalls Ania.

In August 2015, the world stopped…

In August 2015, Ania was at a karate camp. Training ground competitions were an element of the training. One of the competitions was hanging rope crawling. The rope was suspended at a height of about 4 meters, with one end tied to the fire escape next to the building and the other end to a tree.

“While performing this exercise, I grabbed the rope with my hands and tried to wrap my legs around it, my arms couldn’t hold it. Then the world came to a stop for me….”

“I didn’t know what was happening. All I knew was that I had fallen, that I couldn’t move and that I couldn’t feel my legs. In the hospital, I was told the diagnosis – a broken spine. At the beginning, I was not aware that getting back to fitness would be so difficult. I rehabilitated intensively for the first two years. I wanted to become independent again. I didn’t want to be dependent on others. Becoming independent helped me accept my situation and get used to it.”

“A smile is my hallmark”

Sport made it easier for Ania to return to a normal life, because she treated each day of rehabilitation as another training session. She didn’t have a breakdown and dealt with stress using laughter. To this day, her smile is her trademark. She inherited the strength to fight for herself from her parents.

“My mother struggled with cancer for two years. Unfortunately, she lost the fight, but she did not show any weakness until the very end. She was always strong for me. And my dad has been my hero from the very beginning. He always supports me and encourages me. If I had to describe my superhero, it would be my dad.”

What helped after the accident was the huge support from Ania’s family. As she says – “Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”

New life, new beauty

“After the accident, I realized how fragile life is and how important it is to live it 100%. That’s why I decided to take part in the Miss Poland competition in a wheelchair and show that beauty has no barriers.” Ania returned from the final gala with the title of 2nd runner-up in Miss Poland. This is a special feat, especially since the competition took place less than a year after the accident.

In 2022 Ania took part in another beauty contest. This time it was the Miss World Wheelchair competition in Mexico, where she won the title of Miss World 2nd runner-up.

“Through these types of competitions, we show that despite our disabilities, we can be beautiful, attractive and valuable. Additionally, when I won the title, I told myself and others that I would promote sport among people with disabilities.”

Sporting spirit

After the accident, Ania was looking for a new sports passion. The athlete’s soul was still inside her. Initially, she took up ballroom dancing. However, due to the pandemic, the section was closed. In the meantime, she took up swimming. By coincidence, she heard that in Łódź, where she lives, there is a section of SSN Start Łódź, where people with disabilities train.

And as befits a brave soul, Ania also spread her wings in this sport. Who knows what the next months of hard work will bring…

Success in every field

On the one hand, there is a career focus, but on the other hand, Ania is also thinking about starting a family and having children. “I believe that I will be able to fulfil my dreams and goals.”

She graduated from the Medical University of Lodz and currently works as a dental technician, designing dental prostheses using 3D technology and processing metal until fully polished. She actively participates in conferences of dental technicians and gives lectures on the design of prosthetic restorations. In addition, private training for technicians will be conducted.

Is there time for entertainment?

“In my rare free time, I like spending time with my fiancé and family, going for walks, listening to music, watching movies, playing billiards, going to restaurants and playing computer games. “Most often, however, whenever I find time, I rest. I lie down and regenerate because there is a lot going on in my life. I really need rest.” – states Ania.

Life in a wheelchair is definitely not easy. Mainly because of infrastructure and architectural barriers, which unfortunately still exist in Poland. Ania has learned to ask for help if she can’t cope on her own. “There will always be a kind soul who will help me go up or down stairs or push me onto a high curb.”

“Additional components to the wheelchair help me move around the city, such as a freewheel that allows me to lift the front wheels up and move on three larger ones. An additional component is an electric booster for the wheelchair which allows me to accelerate up to 30 km/h without the work required to power the chair.”

“Life in a wheelchair opened my eyes to things I hadn’t noticed before. I noticed how much a person can achieve despite their disability. That I can live a happy, active life and even make people around me forget that I am in a wheelchair.”

Just live your life to the fullest!

“I would first of all, like to tell other people who found themselves in a situation similar to mine that their lives do not end with an accident. Their lives will definitely change, but they can be full of joy and happiness. Of course, we all need to learn to enjoy the little things, appreciate life, and live so you won’t have any regrets. Additionally, it is worth setting small goals, like checkpoints, in pursuit of larger ones, so as not to lose motivation along the way, but to build it within yourself.”

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