ARIS (AP) — Five years after losing an eye and having her spinal cord severed while being attacked, Tracy Otto smiles as she proudly calls herself a Paralympian.
Otto is competing for the United States in archery and is supported by her boyfriend, Ricky Riessle. They were both violently attacked in bed at Otto’s home in Florida by her ex-boyfriend in October 2019. He shot Otto through her left eye with a high-powered pellet gun, punched her repeatedly and knifed the back of her neck. Riessle was also seriously injured.
“I never thought that my life would rise from the ashes as it has. To be on the world stage is such an amazing experience,” the 28-year-old Otto said on Thursday after competing in the women’s individual ranking round as Paralympic events got underway. “I’m just so happy to be here and to be considered a Paralympian.”
Otto took up archery two years after the attack, which she openly talks about because she wants victims of violence to know they are not alone.
“You honestly have to love yourself through it … and keep going,” Otto said. “Your circumstances don’t define you. You can do anything you set your heart out to do.”
