Sprinting towards global stage

My name is Basma (Sasha) Al-Dazhani, I am para sprinter from Taranaki. Born with rare genetic disorder called Phenylketonuria, which normally diagnosed in newborns and was undiagnosed till approximately age 3.

This condition is a metabolic disorder. The amino acid- phenylalanine is builds up in the body causing a brain damage if not diagnosed early, causing complications and challenges.

Prior to that, I was incorrectly diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy because both conditions have similar symptoms which affect balance/coordination and muscle movement.

My father died four days before I was born in Syria, so my mother raised me on her own. We moved to Russia where i grew up and went through a lot of treatment. I have regular consultations with Auckland specialists and will continue to for whole my life. Despite all the challenges, I learnt English and passed level 5 Exercise course at WITT. When I was at New Plymouth Girls High School, I was inspired by athletics coach Karem Gillum Green, to take up sprinting and to get national classification as a T38 para-athlete (mild physical impairment-CP). since then, I have become the NZ record holder in the 100, 200 and 400M sprints and have taken many podium placements in major domestic competitions. My aim is to represent NZ as a proud NZ citizen. I am excited to announce that I am now selected into NZ team for the Oceania track and field champs which are in Darwin on 18-23rd May and possibly get international classification there.