Paralympic hopeful never let a leg hinder his ambitions

Surat: For this class XII student, standing without any support often proves to be a daunting task. For, one leg of 17-year-old Raees Patel is almost three inches short — but a disability that he never allowed to imbalance his pursuit of goals or impede his path of excellence.
Today, Raees, who can lift up to 80 kg weight, is aiming to be a participant in the Paralympics.
Son of a snacks shop owner, Raees started learning sports a few years ago to boost his own morale. Starting with running, he now skates and swims with ease and also plays football. He also participates in competitions with other normal participants.
“I feel happy when I play. Playing gives me confidence hence I try different sports. I recently started learning weight lifting as it involves limited movement of feet,” Raees told TOI.
His trainer Uvesh Patel claims that Raees’s confidence is inspirational for other students. “He recently wanted to learn powerlifting and came to us. Initially, I was not sure if it was a good idea, but he truly surprised me in a short time by managing to lift up to 80 kg weight in the deadlift category. He comfortably does bench press and full powerlifting,” said Uvesh, a professional powerlifter and trainer.
Initially his trainer even disbelieved Raees when he said that he has participated in running, football and skating competitions. But after he witnessed the teen’s dedication in powerlifting, he was fully convinced of Raees’s potentiality. The teen will participate in a district-level powerlifting competition to be held shortly.
“Very few disabled persons work seriously for sports. Owing to limited future options, they gradually leave due to lack of opportunities,” Dharmesh Patel, general secretary of National Powerlifting Federation.