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Surat: Standing without any support often proves to be a daunting task for this class XII student. Because, 17-year-old Raees Patel has a leg almost three inches short – but a handicap that he has never let imbalance in the pursuit of his goals or hinder his path to excellence.
Today, Raees, who lifts up to 80 kg, aims to participate in the Paralympics.
Raees, son of a snack shop owner, started learning the game a few years back to boost his morale. Starting with running, he now skates and swims easily and also plays football. He also participates in competitions with other ordinary participants.
“I feel happy when I play. Playing gives me confidence so I try different sports. I recently started learning weightlifting as it involves limited movement of legs,” Raees told TOI.
His trainer Uvesh Patel claims that Raees’ self-confidence is an inspiration to other students. “He recently wanted to learn powerlifting and came to us. Initially, I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, but he really surprised me in a short period of time by managing to lift up to 80kg in the deadlift category. He comfortably does bench presses and complete powerlifting,” said Uvesh, a professional powerlifter and trainer.
Initially even his trainer did not believe Rais when he said that he has participated in running, football and skating competitions. But after seeing Kishore’s dedication to powerlifting, he was completely convinced of Raees’ potential. Kishor will participate in the district level powerlifting competition to be held soon.
“Very few disabled persons work seriously for sports. Due to limited future options, they gradually give up due to lack of opportunities,” said Dharmesh Patel, general secretary of the National Powerlifting Federation.
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