Brisbane: At the Tokyo Paralympics starting within few days, Australian Curtis Mcgrath will compete in men’s KL2 and VL3 para-canoeing, nine years after he lost his legs in a Taliban bombing. The 33-year-old had also clinched gold at the Rio Paralympics five years ago.
Mcgrath’s story comes in at a time when Afghanistan is in dire straits with the Taliban invasion making the country unsafe for living. In addition, a two-member Afghanistan contingent that was supposed to compete at the Tokyo Paralympics withdrew, after being unable to leave the country.
Born in New Zealand, Mcgrath served in the Australian army as a combat engineer and was stationed in Afghanistan. He lost both of his legs one fine day, the right above the knee and the left below the knee, due to a Taliban blast. Although he managed to escape death but was left with an amputated leg.
He has also competed in 11 World Championships, bagged 10 gold and one silver. In reality of course, before being helped into an evacuation helicopter on the battlefield, his last words were, “You will see me at the Paralympics,” according to IN Queensland.
The Taliban has recaptured Afghanistan for the first time in nearly two decades just days after the United States withdrew its armed forces. Eventually, the Taliban’s rule over Afghanistan is expected to impose numerous restrictions on Afghan citizens, particularly women. Everything is expected to suffer a setback, including sports.
