Meet Xabier Osa. Xabi was born without part of his left arm. In addition he was also born without some fingers on his right hand and his legs were arched.
Xabi shared that he struggled to find something he was good at his whole life. From a young age he was constantly looking for something or somewhere that made him feel like he had a purpose.
As he got older he started working out to have a fit body and felt that this would be a good choice for him. However, training for appearance made his insecurities worse.
Then he found Strongman, a weightlifting sport filled with specific implements including barbells and various materials.
"It changed my life! Not just the sport, but the community around it. Everyone was invested in helping each other to become a better version of themselves. Everyone was putting 200% effort. I had my first competition ever and I loved it."
Soon after being introduced to Strongman in America Xabi left and went back home to Spain and continued training. He shared that the sport challenged him and changed him in every area of his life.
Soon he transitioned from Strongman to CrossFit, and started competing at a high level. In the past few years Xabi opened his own CrossFit gym to help people in his community create change, and overcome struggles and challenges the same way this sport helped change him.
This year was particularly special for him and the entire adaptive Crossfit community, because for the first time ever there was an Adaptive Athlete division in the CrossFit Games (the Superbowl of CrossFit)
Xabi shared that "he wouldn't be where he is today, or who he is today if he decided to just stay home and hide. Don't be ashamed of showing who you are."
Check out Xabi's page - @xabiosa and you will be amazed by how he doesn't let his dis❌ABILITY slow him down. He gets very creative and adapts all movements so he can complete the same workouts as the rest of his team or gym.
For more content and conversations around disability acceptance, advocacy and personal growth follow @disxability on all social platforms.
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