Woman Wins Silver Medal After High School Ended Her Sports Dream

After years of believing she wasn't a "sporty person," Julie Dickson just won her first individual silver medal in para-powerlifting. It's a stunning turnaround for someone who once thought Nintendo Wii games were her only safe space to be active.

Dickson loved movement as a kid. She biked with her sister, swam, and tried everything from ballet to tennis.

But high school changed everything. As sports became more competitive, she couldn't run, throw, or jump as well as her peers.

"PE was designed for the athletic teens, not for me," says Dickson, who has short stature. She started hating sport entirely.

For years after high school, she exercised alone on a stationary bike while watching TV. It kept her healthy but left her isolated.

Everything shifted when a roommate convinced her to try a gym class. The boxing instructor made a simple adjustment, having Dickson stand on a stage to match her partner's height.

That small accommodation changed her perspective. Unlike high school, this gym welcomed women of all ages and abilities.

A personal trainer introduced her to strength training, and Dickson discovered something unexpected. She was strong, really strong.

"I loved feeling myself getting stronger," she says. The experience reminded her of something crucial: she actually loved sport.

In 2023, Dickson competed in basketball and soccer at the World Dwarf Games. But watching the powerlifting competition, she felt a pull toward something more individual.

At a para-powerlifting practice day in 2024, she found her sport. The training camp surprised her with its even gender ratio and supportive atmosphere.

At her first competition, her third lift was disqualified for a technical error. But instead of devastation, she felt calm.

"It felt like a rite of passage," Dickson says. Everyone cheered for each other despite competing, each aiming for their personal best.

Why This Inspires

Dickson's story shows how the right environment transforms everything. High school PE classes made her feel inadequate, but adaptive gyms and para-powerlifting revealed her true strength. She now walks out to Taylor Swift's "Ready For It" before each lift, fully in her element.

Her silver medal represents more than athletic achievement. It's proof that finding your sport isn't about fitting into someone else's definition of athletic.

At her second competition, Dickson stood on the podium alone for the first time, earning a medal that was wholly hers. "This is my sport, this is what I'm meant to be doing," she says.