Bloomington South senior Violet Hall is back from competing at the Para World Championships in New Delhi, India, and is mostly happy with her performance.
Hall, born without the lower part of her right arm, placed eighth in the women’s T47 100-meter final and fifth in the 200-meter final.
Even though she didn’t get any personal bests, Hall is still satisfied, given the conditions. The weather was hotter and more humid than she was used to.
“I'm still proud of myself just for getting there,” she said. “I kind of told myself, oh, focus on [how] at least you got here. And I was like, well, I'm here right now. I'm competing on a world level. Like, that's not a small thing. I shouldn't put that aside just because I didn't reach the times that I wanted.”
Hall said the stands weren’t as crowded as she expected them to be, but she will still remember people cheering for her. She sees this opportunity as an experience builder.
“I wasn't expecting a ton as far as how far I would get, or how well I would do,” she said. “It wasn't really about getting to the podium, because I knew that right now necessarily isn't my time just because, I mean, I'm just some random kid from Bloomington, Indiana, so far. But hopefully, as I continue to compete, I'm able to get my name out there and become a known name.”
Hall said her favorite part of the championships was connecting with other athletes. One day, she visited the Taj Mahal with some staff and team members.
“The fact that I was around all these people that I've only seen, like, competing on TV or on Instagram or been watching them race, the fact that I was in the same room as them, talking to all of them. That was definitely my favorite part,” she said.
Hall was inspired by seeing people with different disabilities compete at such a high level.
“Everyone was represented in a different way,” she said. “Everyone looked different, like even though some people I was like, well, they look like me, but like everyone has their own journey.”
Hall is now shifting her focus to her last high school basketball season. After competing in track in the spring, she hopes to run in college, but she doesn’t know where. She hopes to compete in the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles.
“It's nice to have that break in between sports, even if it's from basketball, as track is my break, or from track, basketball is my break,” she said. “It's definitely good to have that variation, just to avoid burnout and avoid getting tired of track, especially considering that's what I want to do in the future, and that'll basically be my life, hopefully in the future.”
