'In the water I could move without fear': Monica, the story of a freedom won one stroke at a time

First therapy, then play, and finally competitive sport. For Monica Boggioni, swimming became the place where she could feel free and rediscover her balance beyond disability. Today she brings her experience into schools and tries to offer other children the same opportunity she was given.

Monica, let us start where it all began. Who were you before becoming an athlete?

'I was a very lively child, full of desire to live, do things and experiment. My brother Matteo and I always found a way to do things, even if it was not the most conventional one. I loved the water. I started swimming as therapy for my disability, but for me it was always a time for play, for pure freedom. And even then I had a competitive streak: I liked winning and trying to do well at whatever I was doing.'

When did you realise that what was simply your life to you could be perceived by others as 'different'?

'Within my family I never experienced my disability as something negative. I could not walk well, I could not run or jump, and at five I had to undergo surgery, but together we always found a way to do things. In primary school, for the first time, I understood that disability could be a problem for other people. The children made fun of me and did not want to play with me because they would say, "If Monica is on the team, we lose, because Monica runs slowly, she cannot jump, she is slow." That was the first time I felt excluded.'

So the wound did not come from your disability, but from the way others looked at you.

'Yes. I remember the teacher saying, "Monica is a child just like all of you." But I thought that was not true. The others ran and jumped, I did not. I often went home crying because I could not understand why she was telling a lie.'

Is that perhaps where the way you look at diversity today began?

'Absolutely. Today I think the only normality that exists is diversity. We are all different, and fortunately so, because I believe that is our greatest value. Some differences are simply more visible than others.'

Throughout this journey, your family was your safe place.

'Yes. I think of so many memories with my brother and my grandparents. Once, for example, we were on trampolines. I found it hard to jump, and my brother Matteo, who is a year older than me, tried to keep the other children away so they would not get in my way. He held my hands and we managed to jump together. As I grew up, thanks to them, to my mother Anna, my father Marco, my grandparents, especially Angelino, I came to understand that everyone has their own value.'

And then there was the water. What did it represent?

'Freedom. In the water I could move without tripping and without mobility aids, even when my disability became more severe during adolescence. I was born with spastic diplegia affecting my lower limbs and later developed generalised dystonia. I began using a wheelchair around the age of twenty. It was difficult, but swimming was already part of my life. Because I felt good in the water, I simply had to find a new way to regain my balance.'

When did that freedom also become competitive sport?

'It happened gradually. I wanted to compete, but I did not know of any setting that allowed athletes with disabilities to take part competitively. At 14 I met a girl with a disability who told me about the "Nuota con noi" project created by her father Davide. That is how the Pavia Nuoto Paralympic team was born. I started with regional competitions, then the Italian Championships, until 2017, when at 18 I qualified for my first World Championships in Mexico City. My first gold and silver medals followed.'

But the most important race is not necessarily the one that ends with a medal.

'No. I always say that what matters is winning, but winning against yourself. A medal does not always depend only on us. There are races where you achieve the time you have been chasing for a long time and win, and others where you do exactly the same and finish fourth. What matters is being satisfied with what you have done.'

What would you like to say today to the little Monica who used to come home crying?

'To believe in her own value, regardless of other people. That value and that difference need to be nurtured over time. And to remember that we only have one life. It is worth living it as the leading character, one hundred per cent.'

Perhaps that is also why you now go into schools and meet other children.

'Yes. I became ambassador for the "Nuota con noi" project and I visit schools, hospitals and institutions to promote Paralympic swimming and create opportunities for other children and families living with disability. Seeing a child begin an activity, face their first competitions, gain greater independence and a deeper understanding of themselves is one of the most beautiful medals I carry with me. Because I feel I am giving back the opportunity that I received.'

So what is Monica's dream today?

'In sport, the next Paralympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028. But there is the whole journey in between. And I hope I can enjoy it, together with the people who work with me, such as my coach Riccardo Tomasi. In life too, my wish is to enjoy every moment and be happy.'

Perhaps this is the most precious lesson Monica has learned along the way: never let other people decide how much you are worth. Because before turning her into an athlete, the water taught her something simpler and greater: that there is a place where you can move without fear, without limits imposed by other people's gaze. A place where you can simply be yourself.