Global Courant 2023-04-16 20:01:09
His name is Andrés Martínez and he is from San Fernando. He overcame a difficult disability to return to participating in tournaments, and now he is saving money to get an adapted chair.
In 2021 Andrés Martínez, nicknamed by his friends as Chaco, lost the ability to walk due to trauma to the bone marrow that occurred in a traffic accident. It happened on October 22 while Chaco was going to his boxing class on a motorcycle, he was passing through the intersection of Avellaneda and Chile avenues (San Fernando) when he hit the cordon. Witnesses say they saw the culprit fleeing in a white Volkswagen car.
“I see that the traffic light is red and I brake. Instantly I feel the motorcycle slide and the wheel slip. I fly diagonally and break my spinal cord against the sidewalk. I felt the lash on my waist and I was hard in a lot of pain,” Andrés said about the accident.
For physical reasons he had to give up boxing, but he did not give up. He decided to dare to know the world of crossfit. His coach, who apart from dedicating himself to boxing, is part of this community, and decided to accompany him on this new path and process of improvement.
Chaco in his presentation photo for the competition that took place in Santiago del Estero.
“He always trusted me, he forced me to stop thinking negatively, about all that would not help me at all. He told me something very real: that I am a wall for my family, for my friends and especially for the reason others to keep going since I never give up, I think it’s part of my essence, I am like that”, commented Chaco.
Last week he participated in a crossfit competition called Freedom Battle in the “Adaptive” category in Santiago del Estero. In order to make this trip, he had to sell raffles, since financially it was a great cost but thanks to the collaboration of the people he was able to travel.
“There is nothing that can stop you, neither the monetary, nor your conditions, the limits are in the psychological of each one.” This phrase was also applied substantially in the different difficult moments of his life. Among other things, Andrés had to go through the sad death of his grandmother, the lack of money to pay for the trip to competitions or even a serious urinary infection prior to the tournament that left him weak for a long time. None of these things stopped her from doing what she liked, not even the fact that she couldn’t walk.
crossfit. Chaco in action within the competition.
Andrés aims to qualify for the next world crossfit tournament to be held in the United States next year. He is already preparing to compete against the best in Latin America, of which only the best five will qualify for the world games.
“I don’t have my own wheelchair, a walking chair is different than a sports chair. I currently have one that a girl I met when I was playing basketball lent me. Before crossfit I tried to play basketball, but the demands I had in group sports I did not like it”.
He is currently campaigning to get money to buy a sports wheelchair for crossfit. It is characterized by its light and resistant material that, when doing physical exercise, will allow it to support the weight of the bars and itself.
Chaco together with the people who gave him the space to train.
“A national chair costs 1 million pesos, and the international one takes about a year and 10,000 euros to import. The reality is that it is something I need, and the social work does not give it to me and will never give it to me.”
