Mentality is what it takes to win: SA Paralympic gold medalist

Du Preez had always dreamed of representing his country at the Olympics but that goal drastically changed after he was involved in a car accident that left him with a permanent spinal cord injury. 

The 2020 Paralympic gold medalist then started doing paracycling, first representing Team SA at the 2012 Paralympics in London and became the first quadriplegic athlete to complete an ironman event in 2013. 

Speaking to SABC Sport, Du Preez who won bronze for Team SA at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris says he believes that you can achieve anything in life if you put your mind into it. 

"Often I think as people we can make something seem so big or so difficult that you start thinking that it can't be possible. So, often it's a mindset thing and I'm talking about simple things in life,” du Preez said.  

“You can sometimes make the small things feel like it's bad and say it's difficult and use it as an excuse. If you can change your mindset about how you approach those things and not see it as a big thing, then very often, it isn't such a big thing." 

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The 42-year-old currently has 14 Road World Championship medals, five gold, six silver and three bronze and also has two IPC Athletics World Championships medals, and shares what it takes to adopt a winning mentality. 

"I'm gonna talk about the World Record now, but if you look at the world record or, for that matter, if you look at maybe your hero as an athlete and you just put him up there at the pedestal and just make him almost God-like. 

"Then you are never gonna see yourself being in that same position,  and at the same time you shouldn't be too big-headed and cocky to just think, 'Argh, you're just so good you are gonna get there.' 

"You need to be humble but you also need to believe that even that guy on the pedestal who's killing everyone now, you can see yourself there."