Para-Triathlete
Alwyn completing his first Full distance Ironman. Photo Credit: Supplied

Alwyn was once an avid rugby player for Maties and the Sharks Academy who loved physical activity. After a car accident, however, everything changed when he became paraplegic. Today, he is a para-triathlete inspiring others to do the unthinkable when the unthinkable happens!

 

Stellenbosch, South Africa (12 June 2024) — Alwyn Uys, a 33-year-old para-triathlete from Stellenbosch, is not just a testament to overcoming adversity but also an inspiration to many.

Once an avid rugby player for Maties University and the Sharks Academy, Alwyn’s life took a dramatic turn on December 13, 2014, when a momentary lapse while driving led to a severe car accident, leaving him paraplegic and having to rely on a wheelchair.

Reflecting on the incident, Alwyn shares, “It was a huge change and impact on my life. Everything I used to love to do was now inaccessible to me. I had to change my thinking and how I do life, or I wouldn’t have made it out alive.”

Despite the challenges, Alwyn’s spirit remained unbroken. He redirected his passion for sports into becoming a formidable para-triathlete, engaging in triathlons, Ironman events, and other extreme endurance challenges.

His remarkable achievements include being the first paraplegic in the world to successfully swim the Robben Island crossing, and he is also the first South African paraplegic to complete a full-distance Ironman, earning him titles as an SA para-triathlete and para-cycling gold medalist!

Alwyn’s resilience and determination to pivot when his circumstances changed in such a big way continues to inspire those who learn his story—reminding us that we can achieve the once unthinkable feats even when the unthinkable happens.

In recent exciting news for the para-triathlete, his pursuit of freedom and adventure led him to discover the life-changing potential of an off-road wheelchair during a visit to the USA.

“I first experienced this in the USA where they are more freely available to loan at beaches and parks. And it was a game-changer! The freedom I experienced was incredible. Now I was able to do the things I love again! I could move around freely. Go to the beach, go walk with my dogs, like I gained a piece of my life back,” Alwyn explains.

Pictured above: Alwyn testing an off-road wheelchair (Action track) in America for the first time

Motivated to continue his active lifestyle, Alwyn launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for his very own off-road wheelchair and the chance to connect with so many parts of his life he thought were gone forever.

“It’s regaining a piece back of the life I used to live and being able to enjoy the things I once used to do freely,” he passionately adds.

The total cost for the chair and a trailer for transportation is around R300,000, with manufacturing in Pretoria and about R5,000 needed to courier it to Cape Town. To date, his campaign has successfully raised over R165,000 with the generous support of 82 donors.

Alwyn Uys Ministries, his own registered NPC and PBO, issues 18A certificates for tax purposes, ensuring donors can also benefit from their contributions.

When asked about the impact of this support, Alwyn said, “Despite the setbacks and hardships I’ve had to face and endure, life is still good, and God is still good to me! I realized through this all the importance of doing what you love in this life and the value of appreciation of what you have and the small things in life. Like being able to walk on the beach with your dogs.”

Pictured above: Alwyn training for Ironman

With the opportunity in sight, Alwyn is asking for support on his journey to reclaim his independence and spread his inspirational message. You can support his campaign on BackaBuddy, here.


Sources: BackaBuddy
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About the Author

Ashleigh Nefdt is a writer for Good Things Guy.

Ashleigh's favourite stories have always seen the hidden hero (without the cape) come to the rescue. As a journalist, her labour of love is finding those everyday heroes and spotlighting their spark - especially those empowering women, social upliftment movers, sustainability shakers and creatives with hearts of gold. When she's not working on a story, she's dedicated to her canvas or appreciating Mother Nature.

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