Ernst van Dyk
Ernst van Dyk – Paraplegic Athlete Motivational
Ernst was born with congenital birth defects. 'This child will suffer from a lack of quality of life due to his disability," the doctor told his parents, 'You should put him up for adoption."
But Ernst's parents took him home, where they later recognized Ernst's affinity for sports and encouraged him to participate in gymnastics, table tennis, track and field and swimming.
Ernst preferred swimming to all other sports, however, and, by 17, had won national colors for his aquatic success.
In the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, he finished fifth place in the pool, while also making it to the semifinals in wheelchair events.
This track appearance turned out to be pivotal in Ernst's career: The cheer of the crowd as he circled the track propelled him to quit swimming and concentrate solely on wheelchair racing.
A year later, Ernst's fifth place finish in an Australian 10K caught the attention of a German company, Sopur who offered to sponsor him.
Ernst van Dyk – Paraplegic Athlete Motivational
Ernst was born with congenital birth defects. 'This child will suffer from a lack of quality of life due to his disability," the doctor told his parents, 'You should put him up for adoption."
But Ernst's parents took him home, where they later recognized Ernst's affinity for sports and encouraged him to participate in gymnastics, table tennis, track and field and swimming.
Ernst preferred swimming to all other sports, however, and, by 17, had won national colors for his aquatic success.
In the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, he finished fifth place in the pool, while also making it to the semifinals in wheelchair events.
This track appearance turned out to be pivotal in Ernst's career: The cheer of the crowd as he circled the track propelled him to quit swimming and concentrate solely on wheelchair racing.
A year later, Ernst's fifth place finish in an Australian 10K caught the attention of a German company, Sopur who offered to sponsor him.
