Athletes

Henrieta Farkasova

Slovakia Para alpine skiing 5 May 1986

Roznava, Slovakia

Biography
Stories
Photos
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Rankings

Biography

Human Interest
Data	Value
Impairment Information
Type of Impairment	Vision impairment
Origin of Impairment	Congenital
Classification	B3
Guide	Michal Cerven; Martin Motyka
Further Personal Information
Languages	English, Hungarian, Slovak
Higher education	Social Work Studies - University of Trnava: Slovakia
Sport Specific Information
When and where did you begin this sport?	She began the sport at age 17 at a high school ski camp in Levoca, Slovakia.
Why this sport?	"I had never thought or dreamt of being a ski racer, since I don't even come from a mountainous area. However, I felt mesmerised by the sport from the very first moment."
Name of coach	Roman Petrik [national], SVK
International Debut
Year	2004
Competing for	Slovakia
Tournament	European Cup
Location	Austria
General Interest
Nicknames	Hena (IPC, 18 Jan 2018)
Hero / Idol	US alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin. (IPC, 18 Jan 2018)
Injuries	She injured her right knee after crashing during the downhill event at the 2019 World Championships in Slovenia and Italy. The injury sidelined her for the entire 2019/20 season. (paralympic.org, 14 Dec 2021, 31 Jan 2019) She experienced trouble with her back in 2017. (pyeongchang2018.com, 11 Mar 2018) She was unable to compete for two-and-a-half years due to a knee injury she suffered in Austria in October 2014. She returned to competition at the 2017 World Championships in Tarvisio, Italy. (teraz.sk, 01 Feb 2017) At the 2013 World Championships in La Molina, Spain, she crashed and broke her wrist and three ribs. (paralympic.org, 14 Oct 2013) She has suffered multiple facial bone fractures during her career. (IPC, 18 Jan 2018)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"Don't pity yourself." (IPC, 18 Jan 2018)
Awards and honours	In 2019 at the International Paralympic Committee's biennial Paralympic Sport and Media Awards ceremony, she received the Best Female award for her achievements at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (paralympic.org, 25 Oct 2019) She was named 2018 Para Athlete of the Year at the 2019 Laureus World Sports Award ceremony in Monaco. (paralympic.org, 19 Feb 2019) She was named Slovakia's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. She was also the nation's flag bearer at the closing ceremony of the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi. (pyeongchang2018.com, 09 Mar 2018; paralympic.org, 16 Mar 2014) She was named the 2017 and 2018 Paralympic Athlete of the Year in Slovakia. (spv.sk, 21 Dec 2018; IPC, 18 Jan 2018) She has received the Ludovit Stur Order [first class] from the Slovakian government. (sport.aktualne.cz, 17 Dec 2018; IPC, 18 Jan 2018) She has been presented with the Award of the Secretary of Education of Slovakia. (IPC, 18 Jan 2018)
Milestones	Her four gold medals and one silver medal at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang meant she finished the Games as the most decorated female athlete in Pyeongchang, ahead of France's Marie Bochet, who won four gold medals. (SportsDeskOnline, 01 Jan 2019)
Ambitions	To win gold in slalom at the Paralympic Winter Games. (Athlete, 12 Jan 2019)
Impairment	She has a visual impairment. Doctors believe it may be linked to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, as there is no history of vision problems in her family. (pluska.sk, 25 Mar 2010)
Other information	SWITCHING GUIDES She won gold in the women's visually impaired super combined event at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing. She competed with guide Michal Cerven in the super G, and then switched to ski with her other guide, Martin Motyka, for slalom. "[It was] crazy for me because I had two guides, one for the first run [super G] and one for the second one but we are very happy. [Michal Cerven] got an injury one month ago and his knee is not perfect now and I needed to change the guide for slalom." (OIS, 07 Mar 2022)

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