"I am an athlete. I don't want to stop and I won't stop."
If you haven’t watched his video by now, you should.
Cleuton Nunes is a 32-year-old Brazilian Para-athlete. And he’s an example of courage, faith, determination, perseverance and strength.
Originally from a small city called Feira de Santana in Bahia, Brazil, Cleuton Nunes has always been very active. He has been practicing sports since a very young age and has achieved 180 titles as a Taekwondo athlete, including the title of World Champion at 17 years old, and Pan American Champion at 19.
On top of that, Nunes has always been a hardworking man. He worked at a local gym as a fitness instructor, Taekwondo instructor, renowned personal trainer, and was also a DJ.
On an ordinary and calm Monday — May 25, 2009 — at age 29, his life changed.
After feeding his 2-year-old daughter, he headed out to work on his motorcycle and was hit by another motorcycle driver who ran a red light. The accident put him in a coma.
Upon waking up, he discovered both of his legs required amputation above the knee. He remembers little to nothing after the accident, but he does remember authorizing the removal of his legs, which was necessary in order for him to survive. After that moment, he fell into the coma and didn’t wake up for 32 days.
For many, this would be a reason to lose your faith in life and an excuse to stop fighting for your dreams. Not for Cleuton Nunes. Counting on the support of his family, this truly inspirational athlete moved on with his life and surpassed all expectations.
“At that moment, my life stopped. When I woke up and realized what had happened, I felt a deep sense of desperation and felt like there was nothing left to live for,” he remembers. “My wife and my brother walked into the room, so happy that I was still alive. I was different than I have always been and still they all accepted me for who I was. If they accepted me that way, I had no excuse not to accept myself. And then I realized that there are no limitations when you want to live.”
Nunes found strength in his faith in God, his life, his passion for music and sports and mostly, his love for his family. Seven months later, he was back at work and ready to resume his career in the fitness industry and as a DJ. He also found a new passion: canoeing.
Always looking for ways to improve his performance on canoeing, he enjoys searching for new training methods and techniques on YouTube, which is how he came across CrossFit.
Five months ago, Nunes decided to pursue a new challenge and started practicing CrossFit, at CrossFit SP. Living proof that CrossFit is for anyone, he trains during regular group classes and demands no special treatment.
CrossFit changed his life, he says. He became more confident and he was very excited after getting his first kipping pull-up. CrossFit also improved his overall conditioning and his performance in canoeing. He practices canoeing seven days a week and CrossFit six or seven days a week.
Always ready for a new challenge, Nunes recalls hearing of the CrossFit Games Open and asked his coach if there was a Para-category.
“No? That’s OK. I’ll be the first,” he said to the challenge. “I always liked a challenge. CrossFit helped me keep this spirit alive. I needed to rediscover myself. I needed to bring my main opponent back: myself. If I’m not able to do something, I’ll try again. I think about what I have to do in order to achieve my goals.”
While his scores aren’t valid ( and he's not registered for the Open), he completed Workouts 13.1 and the 13.2, and will continue to do them, as best as he can.
A soon-to-be new dad, his dream is to make it to the Paralympic Games in 2016.
“I am an athlete. I don’t want to stop and I won’t stop. I already left too many things undone, I already didn’t make a lot of my dreams come true and now I decided that I will not give up and I will achieve all my dreams,” he says.
When asked if he has a message to give to others through his life experience, he says he wants to make people believe in themselves, and advises: “Everything in your life will pass — no matter what it is — it will pass. If you are sad and unmotivated, relax, stay calm, because this will also pass, no matter how despairing it seems. Believe in yourself. Always.”
