What inspires you most?
Is it a person who has overcome the odds and accomplished something incredible, or is it someone who made difficult decisions to take control of their life in order to live with purpose.
For amputee Jossi Wells, inspiration comes from both perspectives. In his TEDx talk “You can do anything,” he shares how he was born without any legs but still managed to become an elite athlete- winning gold medals in cycling and swimming at the Paralympics as well as becoming a world champion cyclist.
Jossi Wells’ story is one that we all need reminding of- what seems impossible isn’t necessarily so if you are willing to work hard enough for it!
What inspires you most? Is it a person who has overcome the odds and accomplished something incredible, or is it someone who made difficult decisions to take control of their life in order to live with purpose. For amputee Jossi Wells, inspiration comes from both perspectives. In his TEDx talk “You can do anything,” he shares how he was born without any legs but still managed to become an elite athlete- winning gold medals in cycling and swimming at the Paralympics as well as becoming a world champion cyclist. Jossi Wells’ story is one that we all need reminding of- what seems impossible isn’t necessarily so if you are willing to work hard enough for it!
Jossi’s mother never accepted her son’s condition as an excuse not to pursue his dreams. Her mantra became, “you can do anything.”
Jossi was born without any legs but that didn’t stop him from becoming a successful athlete and world champion cyclist
What inspires you most? Is it someone who has overcome the odds or taken control of their life to live with purpose? amputee Jossi Wells is both by winning gold medals in cycling and swimming at the Paralympics as well as being a world champion cyclist. Even though he lacks lower limbs, this hasn’t stopped him from dreaming big and living out those dreams– what seems impossible isn’t necessarily so if we are willing to work hard enough for it! It takes courage- something that Jossi has proven to have plenty of.
The world’s top amputee cyclist proved that anything is possible when he won gold medals at the Paralympics and made history by becoming a champion racer
After an accident as a toddler, Jossi was born without any legs but didn’t let this stop him from dreaming big- what seems impossible isn’t if we are willing to work hard enough for it! He first started out playing soccer before switching sports in high school, where his goal became cycling competitively with the help of prosthetic limbs. Now after years of training and competing tirelessly against able bodied athletes, he can proudly call himself not only a champion cyclist but also one of the most successful athletes on two prosthetic limbs.
I am one of the few athletes who can say they have done well in two different sports with two prosthetic limbs, and that is a rarity- Jossi Schlegel
As an amputee athlete, it’s important to remember not only what we are missing but also everything we still have: opportunities for great achievement! We just need to keep dreaming big and working hard until our impossible dreams become reality.
Amputees like me might never be able to run as fast or jump as high as someone without legs (like my brother) but I’m proof that you don’t need legs at all if you’re willing to work hard enough! The sky really is the limit when your legs don’t work.
Jossi Schlegel is a world-class athlete who was born without lower legs, and has succeeded in two different sports as an amputee. He also holds the record for most consecutive ski jumps at 102 feet (31 meters) with his prosthetic limbs. Jossi has always been very active, playing soccer competitively from age six to 14, skiing since he was 18 years old and snowboarding ever since he first tried it on one leg when he was 24 years old! In 2003 Jossi discovered windsurfing while surfing YouTube videos of other athletes doing something new: “I saw people sailing on their hands,” says Jossi. But this wasn’t just any type of sailing. “It looked like a challenge and it seemed I could do that, so I bought a sailboard,” he says.
Prosthetic limbs really can offer anything to the world’s athletes when they work hard enough! And Jossi is living proof of this fact; today he still competes in windsurfing competitions where he has come out on top many times as well as other sports such skiing and snowboarding. No one should ever let what they don’t have stop them from achieving their goals – you can always find something else that will work for you if your legs are missing or not strong enough to hold up those big dreams! Never forget: with prosthetics there truly are no limits!”
Jossi Olsson is a Swedish athlete who was born with no legs and has just recently taken on the challenge of windsurfing.
“I have never been able to do anything like this before, so I thought ‘why not?” Olsson told BBC News as he suited up for his first competition last week in Sweden. “It looked like a challenge and it seemed I could do that, so I bought a sailboard.”
But prosthetic limbs can offer more than what they seem- when paired together with determination Jossi’s story proves you can indeed do anything! Today he still competes in many sports such as skiing and snowboarding where he has come out on top time after time. And even though there are limits – Olsson has yet to find them.
“When you’re born with disability, it’s not really a choice.” “The only thing that I can do is what other people are doing without prostheses,” he says. Olsson hopes that his story will inspire others who might be struggling or feeling limited by their circumstances today. It’s easy for us as humans to forget we have the power within us and sometimes all it takes is one small step before something becomes possible.
Jossi didn’t let being born without legs stop him- in fact, it was just the opposite! Today he competes in sports such as skiing and snowboarding where he comes out on top time after time (and even though there are limits – Olsson has yet to find them).
“The only thing that I can do is what other people are doing without prostheses,” he says. Olsson hopes that his story will inspire others who might be struggling or feeling limited by their circumstances today. It’s easy for us as humans to forget we have the power within us and sometimes all it takes is one small step before something becomes possible. “We’re not here on this Earth just to exist, but we’re here because there’s a purpose.”
Jossi didn’t let being born without legs stop him- in fact, it was just the opposite! Today he competes in sports such as skiing and snowboarding where he comes out on top time after time (including medals from Paralympic events). “I’m living proof of what’s possible,” he says. “You can do anything.” The only thing that I can do is what other people are doing without prostheses, Olsson said in an interview with NBC News. But the 27-year old Swedish athlete isn’t one to stop there: In 2016 he became a world champion in ski jumping and competed as part of his country’s snowy paralympic team this past February. Jossi grew up skiing recreationally every winter but when he discovered snowboarding at age 14 it was love at first sight (or rather, foot). He soon realized how much potential there was on the slopes if you’re not worried about balancing
