1 October 2024

Congratulations to our former spinal patient Joshua Young, who became the World Champion in the Adaptive CrossFit Games (Seated 1 Men’s Division) in Texas last month.

The CrossFit Games is an annual athletic competition in which people compete in a series of events, including weightlifting and gymnastics movements, as well as various sports.

Seven years ago, Josh was an Austin Health patient following a mountain bike accident that resulted in paraplegia. He spent many months in the Spinal Unit on 3 North and at the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre during his recovery. Since then, he has married, had a daughter and become a qualified draftsman, as well as a champion athlete.

Well done, Josh! How long have you been working towards this?

I started training in adaptive CrossFit six months after my accident to develop strength and independence. I've always had a drive to compete, so naturally as the sport grew, I jumped in headfirst.

This is the culmination of seven years of work, from rehab to real life, this has been what I've been working towards.

How do you feel about becoming world champion?

This is a team effort and one I am beyond proud of being a part of. This win is a thank you for every message, for every meal that friends cooked while I was in hospital, for every shoulder that my family and I leaned and cried on during the initial stages. This is a win for everyone.

It sounds like you’ve achieved a lot following your accident. What advice do you have to people who are facing significant challenges in life?

With a SCI (spinal cord injury) your body works against you, but I've found that the biggest strength I have is willpower. This life can drain you of everything, it's hard. But having the mental strength to take something on, to realise that good things come with time and effort, has been my biggest strength.

I've had support from day one, healing from both physical and emotional trauma was so important, and accepting what has happened to you is the first step to achieving whatever it is you want to achieve. I've grieved, I've healed and grieved again and that's all part of the process.

I am a big advocate for taking care of your mental health. Formal and informal support for my mental health has been a big part of my journey. I no longer stew; I no longer have the ‘what ifs’ that come along with this. I digest and regurgitate in an attempt to heal, or at least come to an understanding about what is happening in my own head.

The mind can tear you down, but it can also be your greatest tool, if you've trained it and understand how these things affect you. Dreams are just dreams until you put in the work, once the work has been put in the dreams become a reality. If something is worth dreaming, then that is worth suffering for.

Learn, develop and grow in every way you can. That has been my model for the past seven years of my life.