"We all have a story of overcoming and standing up is mandatory, there is no choice. We have to accept who we are and be proud". This was stated by the Paralympic medalist in judo and professional coach Marta Arce Payno, at the academic event held on the occasion of the patronage of ISSA - School of Management Assistants and the School of Economics of the University of Navarra.     

Under the degree scroll "Willpower, the engine of my dreams", Arce Payno shared with the audience her story staff and her sports career, overcoming many obstacles: "I have 10% vision and when I was little, there were no programs to help us adapt. The lack of knowledge about albinism was very great and little by little I created a feeling of unworthiness: I believed that there were things I could not do and this was magnified over the years," she explained.

Born with a form of albinism that causes a severe visual deficit, she had her first contact with judo thanks to ONCE: "Judo for the blind opened my eyes. It was the first time in my life that I had the experience of being in a normalized environment, we were all the same". Something that led him to train more and gave him the skills to compete at a professional level. "I started to realize that, up to that point, I hadn't pushed myself with anything, because my effort had never had result. This encouraged me not to stop training. I felt I was starting to be part of something big," he said.

The judoka has also shared the reasons that have led her to the top: "I have fought in the world of judo to prove to myself that I was not useless, because I wanted more, for my children, to make an impact and so that children with albinism and disabilities in general do not go through what I suffered".

Silver medalist at the Paralympic Games in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, and bronze medalist in London 2012, the judoka has also won gold medals at the European Championships in 1997 and 1999, as well as at the World Championships in 2006 and the 2001 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro. She is also a professional coach and actively participates as speaker. She holds a diploma in Physiotherapy from the ONCE School of Physiotherapy and a Master's Degree in Sports Communication and Journalism from the school of journalism and communication of the Marca newspaper.