If you’re wondering which athlete is the most excited to be participating in the Winter Games in Sochi, it’s undoubtedly Venezuela’s Antonio Pardo.
Pardo, a skier, is the country’s lone representative in Sochi. He’s also the proudest dude around. During the opening ceremony, he was just bouncing off the walls as he was waving the Venezuela flag and skipping around. He actually has plenty of reasons to be so thrilled.
When he was eight, Pardo had surgery for a brain tumor and was given just three months to live. The surgery left him paralyzed and he had to learn to walk again.
Pardo’s 43 now and only recently began to compete full time because he became unemployed as a result of problems in the financial industry. After becoming unemployed, he decided it was a perfect time to pursue his dream and became more competitive with skiing.
How can you not respect and root for a guy like that?
