‘I'm not disabled, I just can't walk': How Dubai Marathon 2023 bronze winner rebuilt her life with sport

Adversity is her middle name.

From the time she was born, Alexandra Helbling has been forced to confront and deal with affliction in some form or the other.

Given up for adoption just three weeks after she was born in Sri Lanka, she would find love and care with a family in Switzerland, the birthplace of the Red Cross, one of the world’s oldest and best-known humanitarian organisations.

Here she would enjoy changing into pajamas, eating takeaways, and cuddling up on the couch for some quality time with her foster parents.

Her life appeared to be back on track when tragedy struck in its worst form. Now six, Alexandra was involved in a car accident. Although she had a narrow escape, she suffered paraplegia and was confined to a wheelchair for life.

Growing up, so did her resolve as she gradually began reconnecting with life and turned to sport.

And this is where her life changed forever.

With her motto, ‘I'm not disabled, just can't walk’ Alexandra turned to sports and began to play tennis.

But it was in 2003, during a holiday with her parents at a campsite in Tenerp, the small town on the shores of Lake Maggiore in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, she saw wheelchair athletes training at the sports facility there.

Needless to say, she was hooked and decided this was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

With encouragement from her parents, Alexandra started training regularly and competed in her first races.

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