FIFA Puskas winner Marcin Oleksy reflects on life-changing accident - ‘I knew I couldn’t give up’
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Updated 06/04/2023 at 09:27 GMT
FIFA Puskas winner Marcin Oleksy has reflected on his life-changing accident that saw him lose a leg 13 years ago. On the latest episode of The Power of Sport, which is available on discovery+, Oleksy explained the reasons why he had to fight and what went through his mind. In February, he won the FIFA Puskas Award for his overhead kick against Stal Rzeszow last November.
'I decided I had to fight' – Amputee Oleksy’s journey to viral Puskas hero
Marcin Oleksy has opened up on his life-changing accident that saw him lose a leg in 2010 when he was fixing a pothole.
Oleksy became the first-ever amputee footballer to win the FIFA Puskas Award, joining the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Zlatan Ibrahimovic by claiming the prize for the best goal of the year.
Prior to his accident, Oleksy played lower league football in his native Poland. The feeling of football was a big part in his road to recovery after his accident 13 years ago.
“I was working on the roads and my boss sent me and my colleagues to fix a pothole,” said Oleksey on Eurosport's second season of The Power of Sport, which is available on discovery+.
“An elderly man crashed a man into our road-roller and both the roller and the vehicle ran over my legs.
“I lost consciousness in the ambulance and woke up when we got to the hospital. I remember them putting a mask on me and I looked down and thought, ‘that leg has gone’. When I woke up again a few hours later, I saw the other leg had several screws in it.
“I spent a month in the hospital. I won’t say there were no tears, of course there were. My partner was pregnant and because of that I knew I couldn’t give up. I decided I had to fight.”
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Winning Puskas Award won't 'change who I am' insists history-maker Oleksy
Oleksey was a goalkeeper for Korona Kozuchow in the fourth tier of Polish football but in the world of amputee football, he is making an impact up front.
The 35-year-old’s overhead kick in November beat the other nominees for the best goal of the year, including Richarlison’s acrobatic effort at the 2022 World Cup for Brazil against Serbia.
It’s the positive influence that Oleksey has had since the incident which he is most proud of after being afraid he “wasn’t going to make it”.
“What’s most important is to keep on fighting,” he added. “Life is beautiful.
“I think when you have an accident, or nay kind of imperfection, you just have to enjoy being in this world.”
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The Power of Sport is back on Eurosport, with the first episode available on discovery+
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