Videos

5 Extreme Athletes With Disabilities [VIDEO]

In the world of sports there are many inspiring stories and athletes. In the disability community there are many inspiring individuals who have stood up and spoken about inclusion and focusing an abilities. When you combine these communities you come up with some amazing individuals with special needs who have pushed the limits and show the world how to look beyond their respective disabilities. Here are five videos showing some amazing athletes overcoming their disabilities.

Aaron "Wheelz" Fotheringham

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_xfx0nzT0k&rel=0] Aaron Fotheringham is an extreme wheelchair athlete who performs tricks adapted from skateboarding and BMX. Fotheringham has Spina Bifida; he has used a wheelchair since the age of three and although he used crutches early on, he has been a wheelchair user full-time since the age of eight. He would watch his brother riding his BMX at the skate park, and one day his brother told him that he should try riding his chair in the park and the rest is history!

Kyle Maynard

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8_k4ASqhNU&rel=0] Kyle Maynard is a speaker, author, and ESPY Award-winning mixed martial arts athlete, known for achieving all this despite being a congenital amputee. Last Year, Maynard became the first quadruple amputee to climb Mount Kilimanjaro without assistance, by crawling all 19,340 feet.

Oscar Pistorius

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaXwioLpXcc&rel=0] Some people simply refuse to accept limits or listen to conventional wisdom. Instead of merely existing in history, they have the daring and courage to change it. Their drive takes them beyond the ordinary, and their sense of purpose propels them far beyond the boundaries of reason. At Oakley, that spirit infuses everything we do. For Oakley athlete Oscar Pistorius impossibility is opportunity.

Josh Dueck

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xjUUf_sK84&rel=0] Back in 2004, a flip on skis gone tragically wrong broke Josh Dueck's back and left him as a T11 -- full paraplegic. For the past 8 years one of his dreams has been to do a flip on snow again. On February 3, 2012, Josh became the first person to perform a backflip on snow in a Sit Ski!

Chris Ridgway

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJzP__oDX6A&rel=0] The defending Super X Adaptive gold medalist, Chris raced professional motocross for ten years and racked up impressive results like a 3rd at the Baja 1000 (in 2000) in the 250cc pro class. In 2002, Chris had his left leg amputated below the knee from a crash he suffered in 1995. Instead of slowing down, Chris sped up. In addition to his XG hardware, Chris has four gold from the Extremity Games (2007-2010) and also races off-road rock buggies professionally. Ridgway's determination is evident in everything he does.