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Cape Town - Belgian Paralympic athlete Marieke Vervoort plans to win gold in Rio de Janeiro before considering ending her life.
Vervoot, 37, suffers from an incurable spinal degenerative disease that has left her confined to a wheelchair.
She says she is in constant pain and struggles to sleep.
In an interview with England's Daily Express. Vervoort said she will finish her sports career after the Rio Paralympics.
"I have a bucket list, including stunt flying, and I have started thinking about euthanasia. In spite of my condition, I have been able to experience things that others can only dream of.
"After my physical problems I never thought I'd get here. Rio is my last wish. I train very hard, even if I have to fight day and night against my disease."
Vervoot is one of the world's leading Paralympians.
At the 2012 London Paralympic Games she won the silver medal in the T52 200m wheelchair race, setting a European record. She also won the gold medal in the T52 100m wheelchair race.
