A young woman who lost her leg has defied the odds to become a snowboarding champion at the age of 23.
Australian Paralympian Joany Badenhorst was just 10 years old when her leg was ripped off in a freak accident on her family’s farm in South Africa.
Appearing on the Today show on Wednesday, the 23-year-old opened up on how she found the strength to compete in front of the world.
Joany Badenhorst opened up on how she found the strength to compete in front of the world
After losing her leg, the Paralympian has since defied the odds to become a snowboarding champion at the age of 23 (pictured at 2014 Sochi Russia Winter Paralympic Games)
She believed her ‘determination’ and ‘stubbornness’ helped her overcome the childhood trauma she endured.
‘I’ve never snowboarded before and I was really bad at it. Really sucky. I don’t like being bad at anything,’ she told Today host Karl Stefanovic.
But against all odds, the 23-year-old will compete at the 2018 Winter Paralympics.
‘My next goal would be the Games. I would love to do my very best, which is obviously podium. And make Australia proud,’ she said.
The 23-year-old – who was born in South Africa – will compete at the 2018 Winter Paralympics
For those who are going through their own setbacks, Badenhorst said: ‘You need to decide what type of life you want to live.
‘It’s difficult. Everyone has something. Mine’s very obvious. It kind of hits you in the face before my voice does,’ she said.
‘People can help you overcome hurdles but at the end of the day, you’re the only one who can make the difference.
‘You’ve got to work hard. I work very very hard.’
For those who are finding it tough, Badenhorst said: ‘You need to decide what type of life you want to live’
At the age of 10, Badenhorst – who was born in South Africa before moving to Australia in 2009 – was playing on her family farm when she tragically lost her leg
At the age of 10, Badenhorst – who was born in South Africa before moving to Australia in 2009 – was playing on her family farm when she tragically lost her leg.
A group of farmhands were back-burning, using a tractor to pump water on flames when her pants were caught in the power take-off shaft of the machine, ripping her left leg off below the knee.
‘I got a cold shock through my body… I looked down and saw blood everywhere. I was just screaming,’ she told Fairfax Media in November 2013.