The Paralympics 2024 - Breaking Barriers with Tezna Abrahams

In anticipation of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, set to begin on Wednesday, August 28th, we had the privilege of speaking with Tezna Abrahams , a South African Para Athlete, about her remarkable journey to becoming a world champion in Track and Field.

In today's special edition of BettingJobs News, Tezna, a recently placed candidate, discusses the dedication required to thrive as a Para Athlete all while juggling full-time studies, a successful career in iGaming, and the intense demands of Paralympic training. Tezna also highlights the unique challenges Para Athletes face, particularly a severe lack of media coverage and advertising. Frequently, this forces Para Athletes to work full-time, as they often don't receive the prize money typically awarded to athletes in other sports and able-bodied competitions.

Could you share some insights into your iGaming background and how you began your sporting journey?

I began my career in the iGaming industry in 2018, holding various positions across different companies. These experiences have enabled me to transition into more specialised roles. BettingJobs played a key part in securing my current position, which offers the flexibility to work fully remotely, accommodating my travel schedule for sports.

In terms of my sporting background, I used to be a Para Swimmer. My journey began when I had a near-drowning experience at the age of two — I fell into a pool but luckily managed to swim my way to the surface. My parents decided at that point they had to ensure we kids had adequate water safety knowledge, as they couldn't risk anything else happening. It was from this point that we discovered I was good at swimming. I competed in my first disability national championships in 2008, where I became the national champion at the age of 12. My whole Para Swimming career then kicked off, lasting until 2016. I missed the Rio 2016 trials as I was in an accident the week before, so I couldn’t compete. I then took a big step away from sports until 2022/2023.

In 2022, I randomly decided I wanted to try Track and Field to keep fit and thought it would be fun — I also thought I would try and compete. For Para Athletes to compete, we must go through classification processes in the sport to determine if we are eligible. Every disability is different, and it is not always possible to compete in more than one sport, depending on your disability. I took part in local track classifications in September 2022, which I passed, but I still had to become classified nationally and globally to compete in international competitions. Once I got the green light for that in January 2023, my track career began, and by March 2023, I was a two-time national champion in athletics. I travelled to Italy for my first international track event, where I managed to place first in the final. I was then selected to go to the World Championships in Paris 2023, where I placed 8th in the final and smashed the African record. However, I went through a bit of an injury spell afterward. Following this, I became the champion in the 100m and 200m and achieved silver in the long jump in March this year. So currently, I have the world lead; I’m first in my class in my category, and I recently discovered I have been selected to represent Team South Africa at the 2024 Paralympic Games.

Can you share more about the selection process for the Paralympics?

The Paralympics run parallel to the Olympics; we compete in the same city, the same venues, and in the same sports. Our selection process is quite similar. In Para Athletics, there’s a qualification window with a required performance time, a minimum entry time, and a review of world rankings to determine eligibility. In my case, the notice period was a little shorter, as they initially announced a team but left one male and one female slot open. I was thrilled to receive the call on August 6th to say I had been selected for the team. I’ll be heading to training camp on August 10th, with the games set to start on the 28th.

Training camp is a great opportunity for us. As we'll be away from home for about a month, this gives us a chance to bond with our teammates and get to know each other better beforehand. Fortunately, I am already acquainted with some of the athletes from my earlier swimming days and others from training and competing back home.

How do you juggle the demands of training with your work/personal life?

It does take a lot of dedication, especially as I am doing my Masters degree in Sports Management at the moment, but I think it will be worth it once I complete my degree. Trying to juggle full-time work, full-time studying, and being a full-time athlete is very hard. It is challenging, but once you’ve been in it for a long time and you understand what it takes to be a good athlete, you can strike a good balance. It would be great if professional athletes didn’t have to juggle a full-time job and could focus solely on their sport, with equal opportunities being provided across the board. For example, NFL players can focus on training; that’s their job and their main source of income. But sadly, you’ll find a lot of Paralympians and Olympians are also working full-time.

The Olympics and able-bodied sports bring a lot more advertising compared to Para sports. We don’t get as much airtime as the able-bodied athletes do, which is something I believe will change in the future, and it’s a cause many Para Athletes are fighting for. As an example, the able-bodied World Championships receive prize money when they make the top 8. So, if they are in the final, they will win $5,000 just for finishing in 8th place. Whereas when us Para Athletes went to the World Championships last year, we had no prize money. Able-bodied sports and the Olympics have enough marketing and money to support the athletes, as they receive more media and advertising rights compared to the Paralympics. Therefore, it is difficult to fall in love with Para Sports if you can’t see it on TV or in the media. This year, however, I believe France will broadcast the entire Paralympics as they did with the Olympics, which is a positive development.

Growing up, I didn’t have a disability role model until I was exposed to the disability nationals at around 12 years old; I had no idea there was a nationals just for us. I imagine there are now a lot of younger generations who are differently abled, and they have nobody to look up to because they don’t want to show us as much on TV or in the media. Sure, seeing able-bodied athletes is inspiring, but they may also think, "They're not like me — they don't face the same challenges I do. Who can I really look up to?"

Back in my swimming days, many younger individuals looked up to me. They were excited because they had a role model they could look up to, as we don’t have that many, and it’s not shown that often as I mentioned earlier. Everyone in the Para community is working to move the needle and help people recognise the differences between Para sports and able-bodied sports. There's also a push for greater awareness about people living with disabilities, how we navigate life differently, and still accomplish great things. It’s still going to take a very long time until we are on the same par as able-bodied athletes, but I think we are moving in that direction.

Could you describe your training regime for the Paralympics?

Every athlete is unique, but I typically have up to 8 training sessions per week. Occasionally, I may have double sessions or Saturday morning training, which alternates to ensure I get in at least 6-8 sessions weekly. For instance, yesterday was a double training day - I had a session at 6am, which meant waking up at 4:30am. Then I started work at 8am, finished at 4pm, and was back at the track by 4:30pm for my second session. By the time I got home, it was around 7pm.

Finding a good balance between work, life, and training can be really challenging. I am, however, incredibly grateful for my family and loved ones, who are my biggest supporters and help me stay grounded. Their support means the world to me.

What is one piece of advice you would give to someone hoping to qualify for the LA Paralympics in 2028?

I would say to focus on what you’re good at and give it 110%. One thing I did was visualisation and manifestation, which was huge for me. When I started training for track, I set the 2023 World Championships as the wallpaper on both my phone and watch. Whenever I checked the time or looked at my phone, it was the first thing I saw, reminding me of the goal I was striving toward. The same goes for Paris 2024. After the World Championships last year, I suffered an injury and spent eight months in rehab. Throughout that period, I focused on Paris 2024, making it a key goal on my list. I also made sure to broadcast my dreams because external doubts can sometimes hinder your progress. My advice to anyone aiming to qualify is to stay focused on your strengths, give it 110%, and always keep your goals and visualisations front and centre.

When you're going through a tough time or facing setbacks, it's crucial to remind yourself of your 'why' — why you began this journey and why achieving your goals matters so much. Once you reconnect with that purpose, the 'how' becomes much clearer. And don't forget to have fun! While training is important, genuinely enjoying what you do is key because an unhappy athlete won't go far. Mental health is so important, so make sure you take care of yourself, be mindful of what you put into your body, stay aligned, build a strong support system, and go after your dreams with everything you've got.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Tezna Abrahams for sharing her inspiring journey with us.

BettingJobs also sends our best wishes to Tezna and her teammates competing in the Paralympics, and we congratulate them on all their remarkable achievements. We hope that by sharing Tezna’s story, we can bring well-deserved recognition and equality to the Paralympics and highlight the extraordinary dedication required to excel as a Para Athlete while balancing the demands of full-time study and work.

You can catch Tezna competing live in the following events at this year's games:

August 31st -

Women’s Long Jump T64 Final @ 11:18

September 3rd -

200m T64 heat @10:30 

200m T64 Final @ 19:50

Be sure to follow Tezna on Instagram to stay updated on her Paralympics 2024 journey: @teznakirstinabrahams