‘I am proud of my country’ Marina Hadjicosta says, teaching bigots what it really means to be Cypriot

Local child abusecyprusracismsportsTop Newswomen ‘I am proud of my country’ Marina Hadjicosta says, teaching bigots what it really means to be Cypriot Marina Hadjikosta Relevant News ‘I am proud of my country’ Marina Hadjicosta says, teaching bigots what it really means to be Cypriot 14 August 2026 Heat exhaustion cases rise as health services on alert for long weekend 14 August 2026 ‘We remain steadfast in striving for a free and reunited Cyprus’, Presidency says on anniversary of Turkish invasion 2nd phase 14 August 2026 Constantinos Tsindas 14 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Racists and cowardly social media failures chose to attack a young athlete, a teenager adopted to an island of ‘hospitality’ and always navigating through a host of difficulties that most other people of her age will never have to consider. Shameful really, for a country that should be well accustomed to what it means to be treated unfairly. As the 17 year old tells Phileleftheros, every success in the discus and shot put disciplines gives her goosebumps, makes her all numb, before she explodes into tears. She’s the golden girl of teenage top class throwing, breaking world records, even at more senior age categories. As the winner, she is emotional every single time, proud to hear the national anthem, honouring Cyprus in the best way she can. Marina Hadjicosta, the bronze medal winner of the Under 20 World Championship held in the US a few weeks ago, is simply not good enough for some. And my guess is, she will never be, wrong ‘colour’ you see. ‘You’re not Cypriot, a number of people tell me, judging me for my African descent’, she tells us in a heart to heart. But don’t be fooled. She leaves such failures in the wake of her long throws, speaking without any hesitation about her adoption story, prejudice and racism. She was discovered at 8 by a coach that visited her primary school. ‘She told me I was good in throwing so I tried it, first attempting shot put, then discus’. Marina was really attracted to the sport by its technique. ‘You don’t just grab a discus and throw it, that’s what makes the sport so fascinating’, it requires a very particular technique, it needs to be accurate, you have to estimate all the angles’, she tells Phileleftheros. ‘‘You need to become one and the same with the discus, a single entity’. She faced many difficulties and constant challenges, almost to breaking point, as she even consider quitting at some point, due to all the demands and pressures. ‘Luckily I had the support of my parents, friends and coach who helped me through the tough times’, the champion says. Being at the top of the sport demands daily training, a hard life and sacrifices. It was the same for Marina. She missed many nights out with friends, she had to follow a strict dietary regime and also respond to her commitments at the Laniteion sports school. ‘But at the end of the day, all the sacrifices were worth it, though I would probably never want to go through them again’, she tells us, letting out a hearty laugh. I never spoke about adoption until recently Her adoption story came to the fore through a social media post, essentially informing or explaining to everyone (as if she had to), about the tone of her skin, with her biological father being Nigerian and her mum Polish. Those were clarifications for the bigots who cared so much about tone of skin. To the rest of us, Marina, adopted at birth, declares herself a proud Cypriot, raised in Limassol and hailing from her parents home town of Famagusta and the communities of Pachna and Akapnou. ‘I learned about the adoption when I was seven, or perhaps a little bit younger. But until last year I didn’t feel comfortable talking about it’. Marina Hadjicosta only spoke about her story to three trusted people, as it was very sensitive. She had to face a lot of questions. ‘Where are your parents from; And you know what; She was forced to answer. Obviously she said Cyprus, but with the same premise, this inquisition made her feel uncomfortable at such a tender age. ‘To many it was obvious I was adopted. I had dark skin tone and my parents were much lighter’, she is, again, forced to say, as if it matters. With conditions becoming more favourable, Marina found the strength to be open, mostly to encourage and empower many others. ‘I hope that even one young person was inspired to follow their dreams as I did with mine’, adding that her parents were alwats by her side. ‘I could never hope for better parents’, she says, ‘I am grateful’. Marina has never considered looking for her biological parents and will probably not be doing so over the next five years. «She is not Cypriot» ‘I was targeted at school for my skin tone’, they might have called me ‘mavri’ (black), but I never felt bullied. I got lucky and sport helped. Kids my age showed respect at my success. But some people have nothing better to do but laugh at you and insult you, as she points out. ‘Every targeted kid should remember they’re not alone and should speak out to a friend or an adult they trust’. As she tells Phileleftheros, no one must be allowed to stand in the way of your goals and dreams. Her motto is ‘Τhe sky’s the limit’. To those who cowardly comment behind the comfort of a well rounded couch and judge her achievements and her descent, she has only this to say. ‘I’ve done things they could only dream of, they can never break me, nor do their racist comments affect me’, she says, vowing to reach as high as she can and make her country proud. She never expected the discus bronze in the world Under 20s, as she had the eighth best performance and she did not actually really believe thar she would make it to the final, as she told her coach during the preliminaries. But she did, with the sixth best throw. During the final, she threw 54 metres in the first attempt and did not get passed. Running down to the last attempt, the Chinese athlete in 4th place could not reach her. ‘I could not believe what I had just achieved. I started crying as I was about to throw. But I gathered myself and threw 52 metres. I started crying right after that too. We celebrated’. It was very emotional for her but she’s not done. She expects more medals before the medals come to a close and of course she is really looking forward to the 2028 Olympics, chasing the dream with her coach over the past year. 9 φορές πρωταθλήτρια στα Παγκύπρια Πρωταθλήματα Κ18 (σφαίρα και δίσκος). 6 φορές πρωταθλήτρια στα Παγκύπρια Πρωταθλήματα Κ16 (σφαίρα και δίσκος). 7 φορές πρωταθλήτρια στα Παγκύπρια Πρωταθλήματα Κ20 (σφαίρα και δίσκος). 2 φορές πρωταθλήτρια στο Παγκύπριο Πρωτάθλημα Γυναικών (σφαίρα και δίσκος). Το 2024 αργυρό μετάλλιο στην Παγκόσμια Γυμνασιάδα Κ18. 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