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2 Inspirational Sportsmen That Will Inspire You
1. Cliff Young- the ultra marathon runner
A potato farmer, Cliff Young took part in a Sydney to Melbourne ultra-marathon race in 1983. Coached by his mother who?s 81 during the time, Cliff Young started the marathon with work boots and galoshes overalls.
Competing against world-class marathon runners who were backed up by big sports companies and had hundreds of hours preparing for the race, Cliff Young?s informal training regime consists in running for his sheep. He told the organizers that if he can run after his sheep for a few days, he could surely compete with other runners.
The ultra marathon normally took 5 days to complete and this potato farmer?s decision seemed suicidal. In fact, some tried to stop him from running the super-difficult race because they though Cliff Young could die due to the heat and fatigue. After all, he?s 61 years old!
To cut the story short, Cliff Young managed to finish the race. While the young racers sleep, he continued the race throughout the night. The young athletes left him far behind until the very last night where he eventually lead the marathon.
Not only Cliff Young, a 61-year-old potato farmer survived the race; he even managed to win the marathon and actually broke the race record by 9 hours! He even gave away his prize money to the rest of the runners after him.
After the win, he continued to run in many ultra-marathon races and has even sets standards in the world of endurance racing. His running style ? dubbed ?The Cliff Shuffle? is a famous running technique adopted by many runners in the world today.
Cliff Young showed that being old is not a barrier. And being a champion doesn?t mean you need have super-human strength, just super-human wills.
2. James Braddock ? the fairy tale boxer
In 1928, James Braddock was a successful amateur boxer who broke his arthritis hand in several places during a fight for a chance for championship. He lost the game but continued his boxing career with an injured hand because he needed the money. As a result, his career floundered and he had eventually lost his boxing license when the boxing authority deemed him an embarrassment to the sport.
Out of work, James Braddock found himself in a difficult situation as the Great Depression swept the country of her wealth. Along with million other Americans, James Braddock went under, with no money or career to put food on the table of his young family.
Struggled to even buy milk, James Braddock waited at the harbor docks for jobs. Not wanting to be out of work, he made sure no one knew about his injury. During the difficult time, the family struggled with little food and had even had their electricity cut during winter.
In 1934, a few years in poverty and under government assistance, Braddock was asked to fill in a spot as a temporary boxer. Out of shape, Braddock was seen as an easy opponent. In what was considered a big upset, Braddock crushed his high rank opponent much to the amazement of boxing fans. With the help of his ex-manager, his license was eventually restored.
A veteran boxer with almost no chance of a career revival, Braddock defied his critics and won games after games and managed to eventually come back from a dead career. He ultimately went on to fight the World Heavyweight Champion during the time ? Max Baer. A tall, powerful boxer, Max had actually killed a few of his opponents in the ring.
A small boxer, fans hoped Braddock wouldn?t be killed during the fight. Most believed that his fairy tale revival would end on the night he fought Baer.
It was a difficult fight for Braddock. He took heavy beatings and even broke his ribs during the match. However, he fought until the end of the fight and eventually won the World Boxing Heavyweight Championship, much to the amazement of the whole country.
He earned the nickname ?The Cinderella Man? from this amazing comeback. From a poor, forgotten boxer, James Braddock went on to be the heavyweight champion of the world.
These courageous sportsmen are human beings just like you and me. But they go against all odds to achieve success not only for themselves but also inspire those who follow their careers.
They don?t give excuse. They work hard. They followed their dreams. They showed that human-will is more important than anything else. They showed that success can be achieved regardless of your limitations
So what?s your excuse?
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