A cerebral palsy athlete has made sports history by running a marathon in Barcelona.
Alex Roca Campillo has a 76% physical disability and is thought to be the first person with his level of disability to run a full marathon.
The 32-year-old athlete has limited mobility, restricted movement, and exaggerated reflexes after being diagnosed with herpetic viral encephalitis at the age of six months. He uses sign language to communicate.
Campillo ran 42.195km in five hours, 50 minutes, and 51 seconds on Sunday (March 19). The average completion time for a non-disabled man his age is four hours and ten minutes.
Check out the astonishing moment of a Cerebral Palsy Athlete below:
¡HE HECHO HISTORIA!
Primera persona del MUNDO con un 76% de discapacidad que ha logrado terminar una MARATÓN: 42, 195 Km ✊🏻✊🏻✊🏻
Esto ha sido posible gracias a TODO mi equipo. Gracias a TODOS los que habéis estado animando, NO TENGO PALABRAS… 🫶 pic.twitter.com/XjnQtDmKFN
— Alex Roca Campillo (@alexroca91) March 19, 2023
He posted a video on social media of himself crossing the finish line in Spain as a swarm of supporters cheered him on.
He is seen collapsing to the floor in pleasure after finishing the race as the crowd roars before being handed a medal for his feat in the emotional film, which has already been viewed 7.6 million times and has 167.6K likes.
“I HAVE MADE HISTORY!” Campillo captioned the video (which was translated from Spanish to English). The first person in the WORLD with a 76% handicap to complete a MARATHON: 42,195 kilometers.
“It would not have been possible without the efforts of EVERYONE on my team.” “I have no words to thank everyone who has been cheering,” he says in the post.
Former athlete Gary Lineker was among those who congratulated the athlete, sharing the video with his 8.9 million followers and simply writing “wonderful” with the applause emoji.
Wonderful 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 https://t.co/WjOiSc9eK5
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) March 21, 2023
https://twitter.com/METALN1NJAX3NA/status/1638633996333760512
What a legendary man you are! Hats off to you 🙌 . Goosebumps 👏 @alexroca91 https://t.co/6XZUnU2g8X
— Divyam Pandey 🇮🇳 (@Divyampandy) March 23, 2023
What a beautiful moment, huge achievement. https://t.co/KzjlX7SLH5
— The Football Insider (@fenzen9) March 22, 2023
👏👏👏 this video makes me proud to have cerebral palsy. Having a disability isn’t a bad thing you have to look at life from a different angle and reach your goals and dreams a different way. Don’t let your disability stand in your way to reaching your goals and dreams in life. https://t.co/CAmokm9pZS
— Dan Tromp (@Dantromp_) March 23, 2023
Before Sunday’s victory, the runner had completed five triathlons and four half-marathons. He ran the Granollers half-marathon this year and finished in two hours, 45 minutes, and 16 seconds.
On February 19, the brave runner completed the Barcelona half-marathon in a personal best time of two hours, 38 minutes, and 28 seconds.
On his website, Campillo expresses his feelings on sports, writing, “For me, sport is essential in my day-to-day because I see it as a lifestyle to improve myself.”
“I believe that no one can limit you but that you set your own limits,” he concluded. “Aside from sports, I enjoy giving talks and demonstrating to society that the limit is set by oneself while also raising awareness and bringing society closer to disability.”
“I don’t like that word at all; I like to see us as people with different abilities who want to be treated the same as everyone else,” he softly concluded.
Campillo, congratulations on your outstanding victory!
