Ain't no mountain high enough for iron-willed Iranian snowboarder

To deafening cheers and applause, Sedigheh Rouzbeh stepped into the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium, realizing a lifelong dream as she paraded with the Iranian delegation at the 2018 Paralympics opening ceremony.

People all have dreams, but not many have the same determination that Rouzbeh possesses.

Despite her congenital disability, the 40-year-old mother-of-two became an elite para snowboarder in the space of just five years. In Beijing, she will aim to bag her first Paralympic medal.

Never too late

Rouzbeh was born and raised in a small village in the northern Iranian province of Alborz.

She played volleyball in high school, and always had an affinity with the mountains thanks to her father.

"Despite my disability, I have been exercising regularly since I was a child. My father was a mountaineer and would take me with him to the mountains even though I would slow him down," she said.

Rouzbeh moved to Teheran to attend college, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and later a Master of Science in Marketing.

In 2005, she married Iranian para skier Sadeq Kalhor, who would light the spark that ignited her passion for snow sports.

Kalhor is a five-time Winter Paralympian and has won numerous domestic and international medals in para skiing.

Rouzbeh was enticed onto the slopes thanks to Kalhor's encouragement, but it wasn't until the establishment of Iran's Para-skiing Association in 2017 that she really began to take snowboarding seriously.

Isa Saveh Shemshaki, head of the association, informed Rouzbeh that she could secure a place at the 2018 Winter Paralympics if she earned enough qualification points in national competitions.

Just months after giving birth to her second child, Rouzbeh made her Paralympic debut in Pyeongchang at the age of 36.

"At that time, I had given birth only three months previously. In no way, was I thinking of doing a sport competitively," said Rouzbeh.

"But after hearing the offer, the idea of realizing my long-held dream of parading at the Paralympics opening ceremony flashed through my mind.

"Although the dream seemed impossible to achieve, I had always cherished it. With enthusiasm and motivation, I started training. Initially it was very tough as I was not physically fit for any competitions. But I kept training hard and I managed to book a place at the Pyeongchang Paralympics."

A day before leaving Iran for South Korea, Rouzbeh sustained a knee injury on the slopes, but still battled on.

"Physicians told me that since the injury was not very severe, I could probably be ready for the Games by receiving physiotherapy in the remaining days. I took the risk," she said.

"I underwent physiotherapy three times a day in South Korea while the other members of the delegation were attending training sessions."

Perseverance pays

Rouzbeh had only just begun to walk again when race day arrived.

"I was gripped by fear and stress, I was not feeling well at all and did not trust my knee. Rain made the slope very icy," she said. "On my first run, I suddenly stumbled midway down the slope but managed to keep my balance."

Eventually, she somehow made it over the finish line unscathed.

"Everybody stood up and applauded me as they had seen how hard I had fought," she recalled proudly.

"My second attempt was far better, helping me finish in eighth place. After the competition, positive comments kept coming from other athletes and coaches. They said I was a real warrior."

Rouzbeh's bravery earned her the honor of being chosen as Iran's flagbearer for the closing ceremony in Pyeongchang.

She secured a place at the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics at the world championships in the Netherlands, and now is raring to do her country proud again.

She says China has been a wonderful host so far, with high-quality venues and facilities, adding that she is particularly impressed by the pandemic prevention measures.

Now Rouzbeh is ready to fulfill her next dream－winning a Paralympic medal in Beijing.

Xinhua