#victimsandheroes

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Oscar Rios, 42, does exercises with the help of his fitness coach on the Envigado Gymnasium, Medellin. After his military service Oscar started to work as a bodyguard for a public prosecutor, a time of great violence in Medellin, during the 1990’s when Pablo Escobar ran the city. On an assassination attempt of the public prosecutor, Oscar was shot seven times by Escobar’s assassins. As a result he lost the mobility of his legs and feet, becoming paraplegic. The adaptation to a new life was hard, but he decided that he had to separate the injury under his waist from his head, and to keep doing what he wanted. Oscar had always liked basketball, so he decided to dedicate himself to it. In 1998 he became part of Team Colombia on wheelchair basketball. During his successful career he was several time South American Champion, was with Colombia on the top ten teams at the 2014 World Championship in Korea and went to the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. Unfortunately, this year Colombia missed the qualification for the Rio 2016 Paralympic, which was Oscar last opportunity to be back at an Olympics. He plans to retire soon and became a full-time basketball coach. Oscar believes that there is much talent in Colombia that needs to be fostered. When asked about the accident and his life on the wheelchair, Oscar says, “Before I was an arrogant person and didn’t have any love to give to my family. The accident was a blessing that made me a better, happier man and to appreciate more my life and family. If I was going to be born tomorrow, I wanted to be born on a wheelchair”. - From "Victims & Heroes" series that focus on victims of the conflict in Colombia that became Paralympic athletes. More on this project at: http://www.eduardoleal.co.uk/victims-heroes #roadtorio #rio2016 #Colombia #paralympics #sports #inspiration #heroes #athletes #nolimits #victimsandheroes #wheelchairbasketball #basketball #gym

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Oscar Rios, 42, tries to block a throw during a practice match of Antioquia’s team at Atanasio Girardot Stadium, Medellin. After his military service Oscar started to work as a bodyguard for a public prosecutor, a time of great violence in Medellin, during the 1990’s when Pablo Escobar ran the city. On an assassination attempt of the public prosecutor, Oscar was shot seven times by Escobar’s assassins. As a result he lost the mobility of his legs and feet, becoming paraplegic. The adaptation to a new life was hard, but he decided that he had to separate the injury under his waist from his head, and to keep doing what he wanted. Oscar had always liked basketball, so he decided to dedicate himself to it. In 1998 he became part of Team Colombia on wheelchair basketball. During his successful career he was several time South American Champion, was with Colombia on the top ten teams at the 2014 World Championship in Korea and went to the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. Unfortunately, this year Colombia missed the qualification for the Rio 2016 Paralympic, which was Oscar last opportunity to be back at an Olympics. He plans to retire soon and became a full-time basketball coach. Oscar believes that there is much talent in Colombia that needs to be fostered. When asked about the accident and his life on the wheelchair, Oscar says, “Before I was an arrogant person and didn’t have any love to give to my family. The accident was a blessing that made me a better, happier man and to appreciate more my life and family. If I was going to be born tomorrow, I wanted to be born on a wheelchair”. - From "Victims & Heroes" series that focus on victims of the conflict in Colombia that became Paralympic athletes. More on this project at: http://www.eduardoleal.co.uk/victims-heroes #roadtorio #rio2016 #Colombia #paralympics #sports #inspiration #heroes #athletes #nolimits #victimsandheroes #wheelchairbasketball #basketball

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Joe Gonzalez, 38, during a training session of weight throwing at Atanasio Girardot Stadium, Medellin. Joe was a teenager when a paramilitary group approached him and his friends to become part of the Bloque Cacique Nutibara gang by starting to steal and kill. Joe and his friends refused because they didn’t like violence and were more interested in party and living a life like any other normal teenager. But that refuse came with a high price. Joe and his best friend were chased on motorbike and the gang shot them. Joe was hit twice, one bullet hit his neck and another bullet hit his abdomen leaving through the lower back, making him paraplegic. His friend died. At the time of the incident, Joe was trying to become a football player, so sports were always part of his life. When he understood that he would be on a wheel chair he took on sports to keep going with his life. He started to play basketball, then tennis and in both he was National Champion. It was through his wife, who also is a Paralympics athlete, that he became interested in weigh throwing and javelin. On Joe’s second tournament he became national champion, a title that he still holds today. During his progression on the sport he reached 4th in the world.Joe qualified to the Rio 2016 Paralympic games, but due to quota places he might not be able to go, something that he feels is quite unfair after so much work. Asked about his feeling for the responsible people that shot him, he says, “We must be peaceful, forgive, but never forget. I will never forget because everyday I have to sit on this chair”. - From "Victims & Heroes" series that focus on victims of the conflict in Colombia that became Paralympic athletes. More on this project at: http://www.eduardoleal.co.uk/victims-heroes #roadtorio #rio2016 #Colombia #paralympics #sports #inspiration #heroes #athletes #nolimits #victimsandheroes #weightthrowing

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Joe Gonzalez Bettencourt, 38, lifts weight during a gym session at Atanasio Girardot Stadium, Medellin. Joe was a teenager when a paramilitary group approached him and his friends to become part of the Bloque Cacique Nutibara gang by starting to steal and kill. Joe and his friends refused because they didn’t like violence and were more interested in party and living a life like any other normal teenager. But that refuse came with a high price. Joe and his best friend were chased on motorbike and the gang shot them. Joe was hit twice, one bullet hit his neck and another bullet hit his abdomen leaving through the lower back, making him paraplegic. His friend died. At the time of the incident, Joe was trying to become a football player, so sports were always part of his life. When he understood that he would be on a wheel chair he took on sports to keep going with his life. He started to play basketball, then tennis and in both he was National Champion. It was through his wife, who also is a Paralympics athlete, that he became interested in weigh throwing and javelin. On Joe’s second tournament he became national champion, a title that he still holds today. During his progression on the sport he reached 4th in the world.Joe qualified to the Rio 2016 Paralympic games, but due to quota places he might not be able to go, something that he feels is quite unfair after so much work. Asked about his feeling for the responsible people that shot him, he says, “We must be peaceful, forgive, but never forget. I will never forget because everyday I have to sit on this chair”. - From "Victims & Heroes" series that focus on victims of the conflict in Colombia that became Paralympic athletes. More on this project at: http://www.eduardoleal.co.uk/victims-heroes #roadtorio #rio2016 #Colombia #paralympics #sports #inspiration #heroes #athletes #nolimits #victimsandheroes #weightthrowing

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German Gomez, 49, collects the arrows from the target sign during a practice session at the Belen Sports Complex, Medellin. German used to look for gold with his father on the region of Choco. But the National Liberation Army (ELN) started to threaten them and wanted Germans family to pay to the ELN for “protection”. Because German’s family refused to pay, they had to leave their village and everything behind. They became displaced. Despite this, the guerrilla did not stop chasing them and when they found them, German and his father were both shot. His father died. German suffered an injury in his last vertebra, becoming paraplegic. With the help of a Foundation that supports victims through sports, German started his rehabilitation program. First, he started with swimming, he had never swum before and only after 6 months he won a silver medal at a competition. But months later he had a cramp while practicing, and almost drown. The incident made him so afraid that he never returned to a swimming pool again. As German was good at shooting in the army, he decided to try a sport that requires this skill. He started to focus on arrowing and after a few months he qualified for the 2015 Pan-American Games where he finished in 5th place. German managed to qualify to the Rio 2016 Paralympic, and his goal is not only to get a good result, but he also needs it in order to get a sponsorship that will allow him to live off his sport. Currently, he fixes broken computers and smartphones between practices and competitions to pay his bills. - From "Victims & Heroes" series that focus on victims of the conflict in Colombia that became Paralympic athletes. More on this project at: http://www.eduardoleal.co.uk/victims-heroes #roadtorio #rio2016 #Colombia #paralympics #sports #inspiration #heroes #athletes #nolimits #victimsandheroes #arrowing

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German Gomez, 49, practices arrowing with a few colleagues at the Belen Sports Complex, Medellin. German used to look for gold with his father on the region of Choco. But the National Liberation Army (ELN) started to threaten them and wanted Germans family to pay to the ELN for “protection”. Because German’s family refused to pay, they had to leave their village and everything behind. They became displaced. Despite this, the guerrilla did not stop chasing them and when they found them, German and his father were both shot. His father died. German suffered an injury in his last vertebra, becoming paraplegic. With the help of a Foundation that supports victims through sports, German started his rehabilitation program. First, he started with swimming, he had never swum before and only after 6 months he won a silver medal at a competition. But months later he had a cramp while practicing, and almost drown. The incident made him so afraid that he never returned to a swimming pool again. As German was good at shooting in the army, he decided to try a sport that requires this skill. He started to focus on arrowing and after a few months he qualified for the 2015 Pan-American Games where he finished in 5th place. German managed to qualify to the Rio 2016 Paralympic, and his goal is not only to get a good result, but he also needs it in order to get a sponsorship that will allow him to live off his sport. Currently, he fixes broken computers and smartphones between practices and competitions to pay his bills. - From "Victims & Heroes" series that focus on victims of the conflict in Colombia that became Paralympic athletes. More on this project at: http://www.eduardoleal.co.uk/victims-heroes #roadtorio #rio2016 #Colombia #paralympics #sports #inspiration #heroes #athletes #nolimits #victimsandheroes #arrowing

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Jonathan Fontes, 35, training passes against a wall with his team mates during a training session at the High Performance Complex, Bogotá. Jonathan is a retired soldier of the Colombian army. In 2012, he stepped on an anti-personnel mine during a routine round in the Caqueta department, losing his right leg. At the beginning the process of recuperation was difficult, since he felt he was totally dependent on others. At first he started to focus on weightlifting sports, but found he was too tall. He was recommend to try seated volleyball, a sport that until then was unknown to him. Nowadays, he is the Captain of the Colombian team. The dream was to arrive to the Rio 2016 Paralympic games, but the national team only started to play the sport for the first time in 2011. - From "Victims & Heroes" series that focus on victims of the conflict in Colombia that became Paralympic athletes. More on this project at: http://www.eduardoleal.co.uk/victims-heroes #roadtorio #rio2016 #Colombia #paralympics #sports #inspiration #heroes #athletes #nolimits #victimsandheroes #seatedvolleyball

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Edwin Matiz, 23, is in pain during a stretching session after the cycling practice at Salitre Sports Complex, Bogotá. Edwin has been practicing Paralympic Cycling since he was 16 years old. At the age of 12, he lost his left hand while playing with an anti-personnel mine that was left on the side road by the guerrillas. The process of recuperation was long and difficult because his parents lacked financial resources. Through the help of some charities and foundations he was able to rehabilitate, mostly through the practice of cycling. After he finished high school, he started to focus 100 per cent of his time to the sport and he has managed to qualify for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. He dreams of a medal but he says that just to represent his country is already a good prize for now. - From "Victims & Heroes" series that focus on victims of the conflict in Colombia that became Paralympic athletes. More on this project at: http://www.eduardoleal.co.uk/victims-heroes #roadtorio #rio2016 #Colombia #paralympics #sports #inspiration #heroes #athletes #nolimits #victimsandheroes #cycling