Luiz Pradines will be competing in the ITU World Triathlon in Abu Dhabi on Saturday and just like his last competition, he has not asked for any special treatment, other than for someone to hand him his prosthetic leg when he gets out of the water. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv
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00:00For the better part of his life, 44-year-old Luis Pradinas thought that he would never
00:09be able to run again. However, little did he know that his decision to change his way
00:14of life for a more healthy lifestyle would not only get him running, but competing in
00:19triathlons.
00:20I was overweight. I was not doing anything about sports. And so I decided, yeah, I think
00:28I should do something to lose weight and to have a better life, a healthy life. So, because
00:36I thought that the only sport that I could do would be swimming.
00:41Luis's training took a different turn when he started working with a triathlete coach
00:45who changed his workout regime to include cycling sessions.
00:48When I first met Luis, he was training for the English Channel. He wanted to cross the
00:54English Channel. My job with him was never a question of motivating him. It was just
01:01making him believe that he could do, and then guide the process.
01:07Although his attempt to swim the English Channel failed in 2015, a determined Luis went back
01:12in 2016, and this time he accomplished the goal he had set himself four years earlier.
01:18I was so motivated. When I entered in the water, when I jumped in the water, I knew
01:23that I could do it, because I had a good preparation. Basically, the English Channel, it's a psychological
01:31preparation.
01:32When Luis returned to Dubai from swimming the English Channel, he started to think about
01:36what he could do next.
01:38When he crossed the channel, of course, when you train so long for something and you finish,
01:46then there is nothing else. You know, your life becomes like, and now what are you going
01:50to do?
01:51And he said, yeah, why don't you try triathlons? And I said, come on, that's impossible because
01:56I cannot run. Yeah, but you have to have a process for that. And so, again, I went googling
02:03and I went there and I found a clinic here in Dubai, and I started seeing a lot of videos
02:09on the internet about people, the amputees that were running, you know, doing triathlons,
02:14and I said, hmm, why not?
02:16After investing about 45,000 dirhams on a prosthetic leg, about 18 hours of training
02:21a week, on top of holding a full-time job and taking care of his family, Luis finally
02:27took part in his first triathlon on February 17, 2017, in Abu Dhabi, without receiving
02:35any special treatment.
02:37Of course, my condition put some limitations, but I don't want to have a special treatment
02:42for that. Nothing, unless if it's something that is impossible to be done, you know. But,
02:50for example, I cannot go jumping from out of the water to the transition area. That's
02:55impossible. It can be done, but I would lose, you know, too much time for that. So I don't
03:01want any special treatment. I don't think it's fair for the people that, you know, have
03:05this condition.
03:06Luis's condition does present its fair share of challenges for the athlete when he's competing,
03:12which can cause him to lose precious time.
03:15It's very difficult because it's painful. It's expensive. But it's more painful, you
03:26know, when I'm running, for example, from time to time I have to stop, take out the
03:30prosthesis because the stump gets numb. So it's very painful, especially when you finish.
03:38So why does this athlete put himself through the hardships of a triathlon, knowing the
03:42pressures and struggles he will face?
03:44The feeling that you have when you cross the finish line is rewarding. I cannot translate
03:50in words what you feel. It's like I did it.
03:55And what advice does Luis have for anyone who has a dream?
03:59I would say that you have to go for it. I mean, you have to, if you are dreaming about
04:04something, you can do it. Provided you have the motivation and you are organised for that
04:15and you do a lot of research, talk to people that have already challenged that and made
04:21that thing, you have to do your homework. But I think the most important is the motivation
04:28and the plan.
04:29As Luis prepares to take part in his second race on March 4th at the ITU World Triathlon
04:34in Abu Dhabi, he is a prime example that with focus and dedication, remarkable achievements
04:41can be accomplished despite the challenges that life throws at you.
04:45Salvi Girampaya for Golf News.