American high jump champion Chaunte Lowe is fuelled by a desire to show people that they can overcome any challenge as she trains for her fifth Olympic Games after being diagnosed with cancer last year.
The 36-year-old was diagnosed in June with an aggressive form of breast cancer that required a double mastectomy and five months of gruelling chemotherapy sessions.
The treatments “destroyed every cell” in her body but she continued to train and has since bounced back in ways she never thought possible.
“Surprisingly, I feel great,” Lowe said from her home in Orlando.
“I’m to the point where I’m running times that I haven’t run in years. I’m able to lift weights that I haven’t lifted in a long time.
“I’m starting to feel like myself.”
Lowe saved her own life by discovering the breast cancer during a self-exam and hopes to spread the message that women should routinely check themselves and seek help if they discover anything suspicious.
Going through chemotherapy made her skin sensitive and she has subsequently partnered with skin care company Olay.
Lowe may be the rarest of things — an Olympic athlete who stands to benefit from the one-year postponement of the Tokyo Games, which were pushed back to the summer of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There’s no doubt about it,” she said when asked if the new timeline improves her chances of once again making Team USA.
“But then at the same time you have to stay focused that much longer.”
