An emotional break-up with his girlfriend inspired a young East London man to start disabled bodybuilding.
Clifford Martin, who lost the use of his legs in a car accident at 15, entered a gym one day to work off excess stress from the breakup and started bench pressing.
After he was tricked by gym friends into entering a bodybuilding competition a few months later– and walked away with first place – Martin went on to enter and win several others.
Now he has been selected to represent East London at the International Natural Bodybuilding Association African Championships in Johannesburg next month, an achievement he describes as one of his greatest.
Martin is also involved in power lifting, javelin, shot put and discus.
Describing himself as a true sports fanatic, Martin said he had never let his disability come before his sporting dreams.
“I was very involved in rugby and surfing when I still had my legs but it was only after the accident that I started looking into different sporting codes,” Martin said.
“I remember the first time I walked into the gym and started lifting weights, the other guys were all taking pictures of me.
“I thought they had never seen someone in a wheelchair lifting weights before but I asked what they were doing.
“One of the guys asked me if I had done professional bodybuilding before. I said no and he told me to look at what I was lifting.
“I thought it was 60kg, but it turned out it was 170kg.
“I was shocked.”
From there, Martin has gone on to enter and win several competitions, including the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness and the South African championships.
According to Martin, walking away with first place in INBA could see him being selected to represent South Africa in the USA at the Mr Olympia Championships.
Martin, who has diplomas in information technology, human resources and engineering, said his main aim was to put the East London sporting fraternity in a positive light.
“I think there are so many talented sportsmen in the city but there is not much happening for them here.
“It doesn’t matter how talented they are, most of them struggle to enter competitions because of a serious funding issue.
“There are some companies wanting to sponsor us, but not enough,” Martin said, adding that he, too, was in desperate need of a sponsor to go to Johannesburg next month.
“The accident may have shattered my dreams of playing professional rugby or becoming a professional swimmer, but it did not shatter my passion for sports as a whole,” he said.
Martin is also actively involved in wheelchair races and walks. — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
Losing his legs never held him back
Clifford Martin, who lost the use of his legs in a car accident at 15, entered a gym one day to work off excess stress from the breakup and started bench pressing.
After he was tricked by gym friends into entering a bodybuilding competition a few months later– and walked away with first place – Martin went on to enter and win several others.
Now he has been selected to represent East London at the International Natural Bodybuilding Association African Championships in Johannesburg next month, an achievement he describes as one of his greatest.
Martin is also involved in power lifting, javelin, shot put and discus.
Describing himself as a true sports fanatic, Martin said he had never let his disability come before his sporting dreams.
“I was very involved in rugby and surfing when I still had my legs but it was only after the accident that I started looking into different sporting codes,” Martin said.
“I remember the first time I walked into the gym and started lifting weights, the other guys were all taking pictures of me.
“I thought they had never seen someone in a wheelchair lifting weights before but I asked what they were doing.
“One of the guys asked me if I had done professional bodybuilding before. I said no and he told me to look at what I was lifting.
“I thought it was 60kg, but it turned out it was 170kg.
“I was shocked.”
From there, Martin has gone on to enter and win several competitions, including the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness and the South African championships.
According to Martin, walking away with first place in INBA could see him being selected to represent South Africa in the USA at the Mr Olympia Championships.
Martin, who has diplomas in information technology, human resources and engineering, said his main aim was to put the East London sporting fraternity in a positive light.
“I think there are so many talented sportsmen in the city but there is not much happening for them here.
“It doesn’t matter how talented they are, most of them struggle to enter competitions because of a serious funding issue.
“There are some companies wanting to sponsor us, but not enough,” Martin said, adding that he, too, was in desperate need of a sponsor to go to Johannesburg next month.
“The accident may have shattered my dreams of playing professional rugby or becoming a professional swimmer, but it did not shatter my passion for sports as a whole,” he said.
Martin is also actively involved in wheelchair races and walks. — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos