Centra "Ce-Ce" Mazyck will compete in the javelin event at the Paralympic Games in London.
/ Derek Phillips
Columbia (WACH)- She's known as "Ce-Ce" to her friends, and to herself, Centra Mazyck is known as champion.
It has been a journey for Ce-Ce. In November 2003, she was serving as a jump master at the United States Advanced Airborne School in Fort Bragg, NC when she was paralyzed from the waist down during a parachute jump. The incident changed her life, but it did not stop it.
"Being in a wheelchair didn't mean my life was over," Mazyck said. "I believe this is my second chance at life and I'm gonna ride it until the wheels fall off."
Ce-Ce rehabbed in Augusta, Georgia and was introduced to javelin. In 2012, she reached out to the Challenged Athletes Foundations (CAF) Operation Rebound program for help and was able to compete in the Paralympic National Track and Field Trials in Indianapolis this past June. With a throw of 20.64 meters, Ce-Ce won her event and earned a spot on the US Paralympic team.
"Representing my country in the Paralympic Games means the world to me," Mazyck said. "I represented my country in the Army, and now I'm representing my country through sports. To represent your country in two ways, it just fills my heart and soul with joy."
Ce-Ce is training in her hometown at Fort Jackson in Columbia and is making the most of her new opportunity.
The Paralympic Games begin in London August 29th and run through September 9th.
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