by Stuart Weir
Maria Lyle, photo by IPC
Maria Lyles won the 200m in T35 at the European Para Athletics Championships this past week in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Stuart Weir lets us learn more about a runner who not only battles headwinds by Cerebral Palsy.
Maria Lyle
Maria Lyle won the 200m in the T35 (Cerebral Palsy) division at the European Para Athletics Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, this week in time of 30.52, a championship record, despite running into a wind of -3.4.
Maria Lyle, photo by IPC
The 21-year-old got off to a great start around the bend, leaving her opponents behind as she created a clear advantage heading into the home straight. The challenging headwind was an obstacle for the whole field, but the Scottish athlete finished strongly to secure the title.
Speaking after her golden success, she said, “I’m really pleased with that today. We’ve had a lot of GB success lately, obviously here on day one, but also at a lot of able-bodied Champs recently. So, I was really looking forward to getting out there on the track.”
Maria Lyle, photo by IPC
“Once I got to 150m, my CP flared up a bit. With it kicking in combined with the headwind, it was a bit of a battle to get to the line. Considering the wind and the time, I’m really happy with how I ran.”
Lyle reflected on what has been a challenging time for everyone over the last year, adding, “During the pandemic, everyone’s lives have been affected, not just athletes, so to be given the opportunity again to race and compete for your country is great and something we shouldn’t take for granted. I think this experience has taught me that we should make the most of what we have and never say no to competing again.”
Maria Lyle, photo by IPC
I first saw Maria in the 2015 world champs in Doha. Then 15 she was beaten by the 14-year-old Isis Holt (Australia), in a final which included three other teenagers. Her after-race comment on that occasion included: “It’s crazy to think that I have to go back to school next week!” I subsequently saw her compete in the 2017 and 2019 world championships as well as the Rio Paralympics and the Commonwealth Games in Australia in 2018.
Maria Lyle, photo by IPC
When she won double gold at the World Championships in Dubai in 2019, she was very honest about her mental struggles: “I think it shows how far I have come from last year when I was depressed and suffering from lots of anxiety. I now enjoy life and enjoy training and racing. So, from that perspective, it’s a really good achievement for me. The main focus of 2019 was to get to the world championships, not about medals, so to do that and get two gold medals is the icing on the cake”.
It is obvious that she is a great athlete but I have great admiration for her and how she acts as a person beyond running.
