The Australian surfer who lost his both of his arms after being mauled by two great white sharks will compete in the Winter Paralympics.
Sean Pollard, 26, was mauled by the sharks in 2014 on a surfing trip in Esperance, Western Australia which left him with half a left arm and no right arm.
Now, the courageous sportsman will be representing Australia in snowboarding in Pyeongchang, South Korea, next month.
The Australian surfer who lost his two of his arms after being mauled by two great white sharks will compete in the Winter Paralympics (pictured)
Sean Pollard, 26, was mauled by the sharks in 2014 on a surfing trip in Esperance, Western Australia and will compete in the Paralympics next month (pictured)
‘I don’t want to be known as the shark attack guy, I’d rather be known as the Paralympian – sounds pretty good to me,’ he told 9 News (pictured snowboarding)
Pollard (pictured with girlfriend Claire Oakford) first saw snow a year after the violent shark attack when he was on a boys’ trip in Canada
Pollard first saw snow a year after the violent shark attack when he was on a boys’ trip in Canada.
‘I don’t want to be known as the shark attack guy, I’d rather be known as the Paralympian – sounds pretty good to me,’ he told 9 News.
The former electrician from Bunbury, 170km south of Perth, was airlifted 700km from where the brutal attack took place.
‘Both my arms were in its mouth and it just took me underwater,’ he said at the time.
‘There was just blood everywhere. It had ripped my forearm off and sucked the meat off my bone, like a chicken bone pretty much.’
The surfer was attacked about 150m off shore at Kelp Beds Beach, the same morning he had been teaching his girlfriend Claire Oakford to surf.
The surfer (pictured) was attacked about 150m off shore at Kelp Beds Beach, the same morning he had been teaching his girlfriend Claire Oakford to surf
‘Both my arms were in its mouth and it just took me underwater,’ he said at the time (pictured)
While Pollard’s girlfriend was sunbathing on shore, the sportsman was viciously attacked by the two great white sharks, which he managed to fight off with his board.
Trying to paddle calmly, the now 26-year-old said he remembered seeing the ‘blackest black’ eyes he’d ever seen right in front of him.
‘I remember having to hold my breath and just shook its head, like seven or eight times …it’s just the hardest thing I’ve ever felt. It was so strong,’ he said a year after the incident.
The surfer’s girlfriend said she didn’t realise something was wrong with Sean until he was struggling back to shore.
The former electrician from Bunbury, 170km south of Perth, was airlifted 700km from where the brutal attack took place (pictured in 2014)
Once Pollard got to shore, four people gave him first aid and carried him on the surf board to meet paramedics
‘I’d looked up and could see his board really far out … but I couldn’t see him, that was a bit strange,’ she previously told 60 Minutes.
‘Then I did see him coming in on a wave like body surfing … when he stood up that first time that was when I realised, cause he was sort of lopsided.’
The double attack is the first of its kind in the world to ever to be reported.
Once Pollard got to shore, four people gave him first aid and carried him on the surf board to meet paramedics.
The heroic fighter went through a number of operations and a year of rehab but doesn’t want his past to taint his future.
Determined not to be remembered as the shark attack victim, the 26-year-old began competing in snowboard events in Australia.
Four years since the bloody attack, Pollard described the last few years as ‘crazy’ but said he couldn’t wait to represent the country ‘on the big stage’, The West reported.
The Paralympic Winter Games begin March 9.
Four years since the bloody attack, Pollard (pictured a year after the attack) described the last few years as ‘crazy’ but said he couldn’t wait to represent the country ‘on the big stage’