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his story
Willie Stewart was working construction at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C., when in a horrific accident; his left arm was ripped off just below the shoulder, leaving Willie an amputee. A phenomenal three-sport athlete in high school, Willie didn’t feel sorry for himself long before he realized that through athletics he could regain his confidence. Once Willie made the decision to grab life’s reins with one good hand, there would be no stopping him again.
Only two years later, Willie captained D.C.’s top rugby club at the National Championships. Taking up cross-country skiing to stay in shape for rugby, Willie discovered he was one of the top 10 disabled skiers in his class in the world. He developed these skills and made the elite U.S. Disabled Nordic ski team, representing his country at the Paralympic Games in 1998. Four years later, Willie Stewart won a silver medal at the 2002 Games.
But Willie Stewart is not someone who likes to live in the past. Discovering new sports to stay in shape, he decided that triathlons and marathons needed to be part of his training schedule. Now, it’s safe to say that Willie is an endurance junkie. He was named one of two Ironman “Outstanding Age Group Athletes For 2004” after a great performance in his third Ironman Triathlon World Championship. He also has competed in other challenging events like the XTERRA Series, Balance Bar 24-Hour Adventure Race and the HURT 100k run in Honolulu, Hawaii. Disabled? Self-pity? Not Willie Stewart. He defies those terms, reminding us an athlete is an athlete and that pre-judgments are worth little in the heat of competition.
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