Loida Zabala: The Paralympic athlete fighting cancer to be in the 2028 Olympics

As with every Paralympic Games, Paris 2024 has unveiled numerous inspiring stories of athletes overcoming incredible odds. One such story is that of Spanish athlete Loida Zabala. Despite battling terminal cancer, Zabala has demonstrated extraordinary resilience by competing in her fifth Paralympic event. She is the embodiment of perseverance and commitment to a sport she loves.

Zabala was born on April 5, 1987, in Losar de la Vera, Extremadura, Spain. At just 11 years old, she was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a severe inflammation of the spinal cord. After months of being confined to bed and reliant on morphine, Zabala ultimately lost the ability to walk and began using a wheelchair.

Despite suffering from constant fatigue due to her spinal condition, Loida Zabala turned to weightlifting as a way to cope and set her mind to positive activities. At 18, she began to take weightlifting seriously, focusing on adaptive powerlifting.

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She won numerous national championships until, in Beijing 2008, at the age of 21, she achieved her Olympic dream for the first time, also becoming the first Spanish woman in her sport to participate in a Paralympic event.

In Beijing, she finished seventh in the adaptive powerlifting category, however, she would go on to compete in London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and finally Paris 2024. Five Games alongside other great achievements, including a gold medal at the 2016 European Powerlifting Cup, further claiming two other gold medals at the 2017 and 2019 World Cups.

Image: Official Instagram of Loida Zabala (@loidazabala)

At that time, she also suffered another tragedy that marked her life: domestic violence. It was a month before the 2012 London Paralympic Games, when her ex-partner injured her arm.

"It was very difficult to report the incident because at first, you don't believe what has just happened to you, much less to someone who loves you," she explained on the program 'Más Espejo' on Antena 3.

In 2023, she was also diagnosed with terminal lung cancer with metastasis that had also affected other organs such as the liver, kidney, and brain.

Image: Official Instagram of Loida Zabala (@loidazabala)

It was a major setback for her. However, she kept pushing her limits and attended her fifth Paralympic Games. Through hard work and perseverance, she made it.

"It has cost me a lot to get here, it has been many months of sacrifice," she proudly declared in an interview with the 'Women and Sport' bulletin of the Higher Sports Council (CSD).

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She finished ninth in the 50kg (110 lbs) category, but her greatest achievement was being there. "I did three valid lifts, which I had never done before in any international competition," she proudly explained in the interview after lifting 60, 70, and 75kg (132-165 lbs) in Paris.

Image: Official Instagram of Loida Zabala (@loidazabala)

Her journey to get there after being diagnosed with the terminal illness was far from easy. Because of the treatment for it, she weighed 61 kilos (134lbs) just 8 months before the Paralympic event, which is why she began a strict process under the supervision of doctors.

Image: Official Instagram of Loida Zabala (@loidazabala)

"It was a very difficult decision (to pause her treatment), because I know that the cancer can grow," she said in another interview on Telecinco, where she also said she did not regret her decision: "Since I found out that I will not have a future because of the cancer, I enjoy the moment much more."

"Getting to Paris was already a great medal for me. A great achievement. (…) It was so exciting to get up from the bench and see my family... It's been very difficult to get here," she added in her interview with Telecinco.

Now, with these Games behind her, Zabala has a new dream ahead of her: to continue fighting to see if life allows her to compete in the next Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. "I hope to survive for the 2028 Games. I'm going to enjoy every training session," she shared.

Image: Official Instagram of Loida Zabala (@loidazabala)

"The next focus is to defend my European title, which is in two years," Zabala proposed while expressing her hopes for the future: "I have time to recover the form. Then I would like to survive until Los Angeles 2028."

"Having a goal to achieve motivates me, I want to survive to live life to the fullest," said the athlete on Antena 3, while in the CSD bulletin she recalled that she has learned "to focus all my attention on dreams and that has helped me a lot to not overthink the situation I find myself in."

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