Paralympian reportedly mulls euthanasia following Rio Games

Belgian athlete Marieke Vervoort (L) rings a bell in the presence of fellow athletes Wim Decleir (back L) and Frederic Van den Heede (C), NYSE Euronext Brussels CEO Vincent Van Dessel (R) and her dog Zenn, after their return from the London 2012 Paralympic Games at the Brussels stock exchange building September 11, 2012. (REUTERS/Yves Herman)

A Belgian Paralympic champion set to compete in the Rio Games is reportedly contemplating euthanasia after the competition.

Marieke Vervoort, 37, of Belgium, has an incurable degenerative disease that left her wheelchair-bound in 2000, The Advertiser reported. She plans to compete in the  T52 400m and the 100m events at the 2016 Paralympics, which start on Wednesday.

According to The Advertiser, she is considering euthanizing herself after the event. Le Parisien reported that a combination of fatigue from sleepless nights— sometimes only ten minutes a night— and her condition result in regularly fainting spells, from which she is awoken only by her dog licking her face.

Vervoort, who won gold in the T52 100m sprint and silver in the 200m event four years ago, is training in hopes of finishing her career on the podium, The Advertiser reported.

“There is a chance to medal, but it will be very hard because the competition is very strong,” she told Le Parisien. “Then we’ll see what life brings me and I try to enjoy the best moments.”

Euthanisia is legal in Belgium, with the consent of three doctors.

Vervoort’s decision to end her life has not been confirmed, The Advertiser reported.

Following her initial paralysis, Vervoort played wheelchair basketball and competed in triathlons, but her condition worsened in 2008.

Training for wheelchair sprinting is her life, she shared on her website, according to The Advertiser.

“When I sit in my racing chair, everything disappears,” she said. “I expel all the dark thoughts, I fight fear, sadness, suffering, frustration…That’s how I won the gold medals.”