The Olympic winner shows off his leg: – Do it to help others

The Olympic winner shows off his leg: – Do it to help others
The Olympic winner shows off his leg: – Do it to help others
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Sweden’s para star Ebba Årsjö won two golds and took one bronze in this winter’s Paralympics in Beijing.

The 21-year-old was born with Klippel-Trenaunay’s disease, which has led to a muscle failure in his right leg.

OL-HELT; Ebba Årsjö from Sweden. Photo: Simon Hastegård / BILDBYRÅN

For over 18 years, the alpine star kept his dysfunction secret from the outside world, writes SVT. But now, for the first time, the couple star has published a picture of what the right leg looks like on his official Instagram account.

– Yes, look here you guys, this is me. Do not forget to be happy with yourself, writes Årsjö.

The Olympic winner tells SVT that she had thought for a long time about posting a picture of the leg.

– I have thought for over a year that I would like to do it. Throughout the last year, I have counted down the months until I should post some nice pictures and post. I have a desire to be a role model, and tell about everything one should do, but even I had not shown my foot yet, she says.

Årsjö hopes that by posting the picture she can help others to be happy with the body as it looks.

– I hope that I can be of extra help to others. I feel that I can really influence other people, and when you hear that you have been helpful, I fall in love with my whole body. All individual athletes are probably a bit “ego”, they only think about themselves and about winning. Here I get something more with the purchase, and do something bigger, she explains to SVT.

However, it is not just to help others Årsjö has chosen to post the picture. The Swede explains that she also chose to show off her right leg to give a clear message to those who have doubted that she was disabled enough to participate in the Paralympics.

– Many have doubted and asked questions. Some have even been a little angry and said “she should not be there”, “she is lying”, and things like that. Both coaches and other athletes have asked questions about why I have participated when it has looked like I have competed with a healthy leg, states Sweden’s pair star.

The article is in Norwegian

Tags: Olympic winner shows leg

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