When sport and resilience help overcome darkness
25 November 2024 | Comment(s) |
Matthias Vauthier
Zohre Bayat is a 26-year-old Afghan woman whose atypical life path has enabled her to find the personal resources to face up to her difficulties. She has achieved this through sport and exceptional resilience. Now based in the canton of Valais, Zohre is living life to its fullest and has a number of plans for the future. She wished to share her story to inspire others to keep going in difficult situations, for example by finding a sport or a passion to get out of a difficult situation.
A career marked by adversity
Zohre grew up in Afghanistan before fleeing with her family. "I was born during the war, and my family and I fled the country. In Iran, where I grew up, I had no rights. I never went to school, I didn't even have ID papers". She therefore never had the chance to live a "normal" childhood. Later, after arriving in Zurich after a long journey through Greece, Turkey and other countries, she was confronted with social isolation and psychological suffering of which she was not fully aware. "I found myself very alone... I didn't know why all this was happening to me and it was complicated to deal with a new language and a new culture. That's when the signs of depression started to show”.
The meeting that changed everything
While battling against her fears, Zohre had a life-changing encounter. Amy, a woman who worked for a humanitarian organisation, encouraged her to try running. "The first time I went, it was horrible and I went to please Amy more than out of conviction. I felt like everyone was watching me. But despite everything, straight afterwards I felt a bit better and I continued little by little. It soon became clear that sport was beginning to play a crucial role in my recovery”. For Zohre, sport has not just been a way of getting back into shape, but is above all a tool for reconnecting with emotions and healing certain injuries. "Sport is like medicine for me, without any unwanted side effects. Whenever I felt unwell, I went out for a run". Over time, she has been able to reduce her consumption of medicines and has noticed an improvement in her general condition. "But this didn't happen overnight. Sport has gradually enabled me to accept myself and learn to live with my suffering", which emphasises the importance of persevering every day. "It has also given me the opportunity to open up to others and share discussions about sport, which we are all passionate about”.
New challenges to take us further
After discovering the joys of running, Zohre decided to push her limits even further by trying her hand at triathlon. Her first Ironman, raced in Italy in September 2024, was an intense but eye-opening experience: "When I crossed the finish line, I told myself that there are no limits and that this applies as much to sport as to life in general". Her next goal is to take part in the Norseman Triathlon, one of the toughest events in the world. "It's a symbolic event for me. I've already overcome darkness in my life, and the Norseman race, with its black finisher's t-shirt, represents for me this victory over darkness".
Her story shows that it is possible to bounce back from difficult experiences such as war, exile and depression. "Everyone has their dark periods, in their own way, but you have to accept your suffering and work on it every day. It's not easy, but nothing is impossible. You have to try, again and again, and never give up”.
