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10 Questions South African pentathlete Fanie Lombaard
By Luba Vangelova, Special to CNNSI.com Fanie Lombaard became an amputee as a result of a professional rugby injury seven years ago, at an away game in Sydney. He has set three world records at these Games so far, winning the pentathlon, discus and shot put. His last individual event, the javelin, is coming up on Saturday. 1. What's it like to be back in Sydney for the first time since that fateful injury? My motivation is, "it's payback time." It's nothing personal; I have a very good relationship with the Australian team. I came here two weeks early to train with them. There's no bitterness [in coming back to Sydney]. I'm not a person who keeps grudges. I'm here to do sport and just live my life, and to live it up to the maximum. 2. What made you decide to have an amputation after walking on crutches for the first year after your injury? It was more out of frustration and not being able to run and stay active. I had been a professional sportsman and now suddenly I couldn't do much. 3. How active have you been since you began using a prosthetic? Well, I cycled from Pretoria down to Cape Town [about 800 miles] on my bicycle, to get people's attention. We passed through small towns, to give kids exposure to people with disabilities, and to spread awareness. 4. What was your goal at these Games? Win gold in all of my events. My motto is, why go for sixth when you can win? The world records were bonuses. But I've been training really hard. Being a professional makes it easier. 5. Is it through government support that you can manage to do this for a living? No, I have a corporate sponsor. It's about what you give back to the company. It's a business you run. If you don't give back, you don't get anything. So I do cycling [trips], make appearances, give motivational speeches. 6. How has your disability changed your athletic training? I'm very fortunate in being a professional sportsman before [my injury]. I'm training with able-bodied athletes. They don't see me as disabled, they just see me as an athlete. When we do lifting, I can do 215 [kilograms] squat and 205 [kilograms] bench press. Everyone adapts to their disability, which I think is wrong. Your disability has to adapt to you. As soon as you can get that motto going, it's magic. 7. Has having a disability made you tougher mentally? Definitely. It brings out the character in you. 8. During the pentathlon the other day, your prosthetic leg broke in a run-up to a javelin throw, and you fell. How did you manage to throw so well on your next attempt after an incident like that? I've been through worse. At our national championship, I was doing a run-up for the long jump, going full speed, and my leg gave in. On the video of it, you can see me stop, and my leg passing me. But I think that's where the character comes in. Some people don't have it. But for me, that, I think, is the biggest part of me. And it made [the pentathlon win] more special. 9. How much have prostheses improved since you got your first one? Definitely. My first prosthetic leg was just a normal foot and leg. But then some big companies got involved and the athletes communicate with them, telling them what we need. 10. Do you expect prosthetics to get advanced enough to allow you to beat able-bodied competitors? No, that will never be. But our competition is more exciting to watch, because it's more equal. You're put in a class with guys with the same disability as you. That's what it's about: guys using their disability, using a bit of technology, to come out there and just go [crazy].
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