There’s a huge difference
between running to escape something
and running to find yourself,
right?
I let the light emerge from within me,
because those who follow me
will be blinded by it.
And the white fire
of my skin and my eyes
is as powerful as the water
that lashes the rocks of my new land.
Because I am the daughter
of these gorges and this rain.
I am the daughter of light.
I have
79% visual impairment
caused by albinism.
This is a genetic condition
that means
have reduced pigmentation
in my skin, eyes and hair.
In many parts of Mali,
people with albinism
are persecuted
and even murdered,
because they say
that we are unlucky.
I have a family
that love me a lot
and they’ve always
wanted me to do well.
That’s why they sent me here,
so I could have
a good life, you know?
Ok,
let’s start.
Since I was little,
I always remember
running to do everything, you know?
Whenever my mum
asked me to do some errands,
I’d say:
Calculate the time,
let’s see how long it takes me
to get from here to there.
—Up, up, up, up.
—One more!
Adi. Daughter of light.
In Mali,
not many of us had a TV.
What we all used to do
was go to a man’s house
with a big screen.
At one point,
I saw some girls
using starting blocks.
At that time, obviously,
I didn’t know what either athletics
or starting blocks were.
I identified with them
because they were white.
So, of course, I said:
Ah! They look like me
and they run like me.
Come on, Adi!
I’ve always
felt that on the track,
not everything specifically
depends on sight, you know?
You can run
and let yourself be carried away
by your senses.
Those of us
with visual impairment
tend to develop
hearing and touch more.
—I keep moving!
I believe in myself!
Keep going!
I’ve got balance!
Done!
—Up!
—Keep visualising it!
That’s it!
—Great.
—Come on, no falling asleep!
I feel like there,
I can do anything on the track.
I don’t depend on anyone, you know?
—Use force against the block.
Let’s see how we get on,
we might have to move...
—The front one.
—Yeah, go again.
Running by myself
gives me a sense of freedom.
—Perfect.
—Fingers straight,
hands straight.
Good! That's it.
Rest.
Change leg.
—I didn’t think I’d be able to do that again, eh?
It’s in the hard drive.
—It’s in the hard drive.
You can sense
when someone
has a human quality.
—But my knee’s not bothering me.
It’s not bothering me,
but it’s, like…
weak.
And there’s something
that flows between us
that means we can work
almost without speaking.
—But it’s a pleasure.
Anyone would enjoy
working with you.
—That’s it.
I didn’t even know
what the Paralympic Games were.
I didn’t even know
what a Spanish Championship was.
I didn’t know anything,
I just wanted to run
and enjoy myself.
There are a lot of social things
we give up, you know?
To achieve high-performance.
Reaching the Paralympic Games
is a dream for any high-performance athlete.
And ultimately,
I’ve fought a lot for this.
And, maybe, all the hard work
is reflected in this medal.
It means that everything
has been worth it.
There are currently over 120 million
refugees and displaced people in the world.
It’s not just wars and armed violence;
there are also other reasons
for which these people
are forced to cross international borders.
The Adi from Africa
was a little girl, right?
And she always remembers
having parents who loved her very much.
They’ve always protected me
and they’ve always made sure I was doing well.
My parents decided
to send me to Spain
because at that time,
the issue of the persecution of albinos
was really dangerous
and they didn’t want anything to happen to me.
Why are they persecuted?
What is the reason behind the persecution,
particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa,
of people with albinism?
Magical beliefs and rituals…
There are countries where it is believed
that HIV can be cured
by having sexual relations
with someone with albinism.
They think that cutting off
an albino’s limb or hair
and carrying it with them
will bring them luck.
It is believed that the body parts
of people with albinism have...
...magical powers, supernatural powers.
I suppose that’s why they persecute us,
because they’re scared of us.
Because we’re magical beings,
right?
Because my legs
are.
Nobody would leave their country
if they were doing well, would they?
If things were going well.
I was at a children’s home
for three and a half years.
I was told about a woman from Galicia
who wanted to adopt a little girl.
Obviously, I wasn’t a little girl,
I was already thirteen.
And they told her about my case and she said:
Well, why don’t I go and meet her?
It was lovely because I said:
This is a gift of life
and you can’t say no to life.
When I needed someone most,
she was there.
She asked me
what I liked doing.
Running!
She told me,
from that first visit,
that I was going to become paralympic champion.
I said:
That girl, one day,
will go far.
I imagined it, yeah
I dreamed of it.
Y fue como:
Do you want me to be your mum?
I’m willing to be your mum.
Do you want me to be your mum? Yeah.
Well that’s that.
I think there are many ways
to reach motherhood,
and for me this was a really,
really nice way to be a mother.
We’ve both found each other
to help the other person
in this part of life’s journey.
This can’t be undone,
we’re mother and daughter forever, you know?
Without her, I wouldn’t have achieved
anything I have here.
—Fue cuando leíamos los poemas de Rosalía y...
She’s Galician
and thanks to her,
I’ve felt part
of the Galician world, you know?
Magical...
...mysterious land...
Land of powerful women.
Women of water
and of the mountains.
It was quite a shock at the start, you know?
Coming to another country, another culture,
the norms, the people,
the weather, everything was really different.
Galicia means
a home for me too
thanks to Lina.
In Mali, we also believed that rain
was something divine, you know?
That rain brings good things.
—Adi Iglesias enters!
—Oh my God, Adi! She’s going to take gold!
—Adi Iglesias with her medal…
Above all, I’d like to be remembered
as a good person.
I’m just like anyone else,
only my skin, hair and eyes are different.
I’d tell little Adi
to not think so much about the future,
but to enjoy this journey, you know?
And when she feels
capable of doing something,
to not limit herself,
to try and fight for her dreams.
What motivates me the most every day
is thinking that somewhere in the world,
a refugee girl,
whether she has a disability or not,
can see herself in me and say:
She’s like me.
If Adi could do it, so can I.