Sofia seeks support on her para journey
A former Berwickshire High School pupil has her eyes on the top prize as she makes a name for herself in para badminton.
Sofia Mazzoni (21) from Hume won her first para international medal earlier this year and has climbed the rankings with the aim of competing for Team GB at the Paralympics.
Having started playing at school, she began to take badminton more seriously when she joined the team at Aberdeen University, competing in the his first tournament just two years ago.
She said: “I have a congenital partial foot where my foot ends just past my ankle.
“I struggled a lot with accepting my disability and finding confidence in myself, but sport completely changed that for me. Badminton has helped me embrace who I am and has given me opportunities I never imagined possible.
“I’ve gone on to compete at the European Championships and last November won the UK national women’s doubles title.
“This year I also won two bronze medals at the Spiro Spathis Egyptian Para Badminton International, followed by a gold medal in women’s doubles, silver in women’s singles, and bronze in mixed doubles at the Czech Para Badminton International in April.
“I can't fully tell you how it felt to win the gold at the Czech international. It really made me think back on how far I've come from the 13-year-old who liked to play for fun after school.”
Sofia is currently ranked 24th in SL4 women’s singles, 38th in SL3-SU5 women’s doubles and 38th in SL3-SU5 mixed doubles and is now on the look out for sponsorship as she tries to combine competing with her studies.
“Sponsorship would make a huge difference to my ability to compete internationally,” she says, “as a self-funded athlete each international tournament costs between £1000 and £2000.
“Balancing those expenses alongside full-time study and training can be challenging.
“Additional support would play a significant role in helping me achieve my goal of breaking into the world's top 12 and, ultimately, qualifying for the Paralympics.”
Anyone interested in supporting Sofia can contact her through her Instagram page (@sofi__mazzoni) or by email at [email protected].