Translator: Maurício Kakuei Tanaka Reviewer: Leonardo Silva
Well, I'm here to share a bit of my story with you,
and tell you about choices I've made.
It's a joy for me when I am
and I can share some of my choices.
In fact, tomorrow arrives soon.
Dive...
This quote is pretty cool, "Dive right in."
That's what I do.
Dive right in what you choose today,
because tomorrow arrives fast indeed.
I've made choices in my life,
and I keep doing that.
The most important one,
I chose to be happy.
I chose to smile.
If you haven't had this choice in your life yet,
today is the moment, this is the moment, now is the moment
to smile, to be happy pursuing your dreams and goals.
To make our dreams and goals come true
we need practice,
dedication and focus.
I've practiced every day to reach my goals,
exhaustively, to reach my goals, my dreams.
"When do you practice?"
"Oh, only from Monday through Saturday."
"How many miles?"
"It depends..."
"From two and a half to six miles a day."
That requires dedication, and I need focus,
I need to know where I want to get to.
The choice you make now will make the difference.
Where do you want to get to?
I really like...
this quote,
"We ourselves build our dreams."
There's a strength inside each of us.
It's up to us pursuing these dreams, these goals.
When we dedicate ourselves,
when we practice, when we are focused,
we have to value our achievements.
This is Laureus Statuette.
It's considered the Oscars for sports.
It's the greatest achievement I've got in sport.
But I don't have to value only that.
When I was a child, I started going to school;
there was a contest there:
a painting contest.
I got there and said,
"I want to take part in this contest."
I did a painting...
Has anyone here ever got a medal of merit?
Then everybody laughs because everybody's got one.
Everybody has already got a medal of merit.
Sometimes, we take these achievements for granted.
I won as the most beautiful painting in the school,
and I got that small medal of merit.
Back when I was in school, I remember liking sports, being in love with sports.
There was my first day in physical education.
Physical education, about 20 years ago,
what was it like?
You played soccer...
The coach did that:
he threw the ball...
"Hey, you, play soccer."
That's how it worked.
Was anyone the last to be chosen here?
In anything, it doesn't have to be in soccer.
You can raise the hands you've got, come on.
Yeah!
Wow, many people were the last to be chosen, huh?
That's bad.
(Laughter)
It's too sad to be the last to be chosen.
But I've already experienced that,
and it didn't happen due to my special needs.
No!
I've experienced that because that's life.
I wasn't as good in soccer.
I'm a good swimmer, but, in soccer, more or less.
I usually say I'm a peg-leg due to my artificial limb.
But...
(Laughter)
I wasn't the last to be chosen in the following day,
and this is a great achievement for me.
I was never the first,
unless when I played odds, and I won.
So you may be wondering that my oponent was terrible...
at math.
I can only shoot "1"... even.
(Laughter)
So...
(Laughter)
(Applause)
It's a very simple sum, isn't it?
One plus one; if it's even, it'll equal two; I won.
But I won in that game, dude!
If I could, so can you.
(Laughter)
You can.
We've got to value these small achievements in our lives.
That's what I do: I value these small achievements
and also the great ones, like medals in the Paralympic Games.
I like this quote,
"I want to bring to my mind what can give me hope."
While I remember and tell you these stories,
that gives me hope to continue with my choices.
Most importantly,
although I'm a swimmer, I'm never on my own.
Whatever you do, you're not alone.
I'll give you an example: my first day at school.
I was called a cripple, a one-legged guy,
things that hurt me so bad.
But I had my family.
So, when I arrived home,
my parents were there.
In fact, that was the moment when I chose to be happy,
to pursue my dreams
and not to have prejudice inside me,
because I knew I wasn't alone.
We are never alone in our life.
We've got friends, family...
and, in my case, there's the medley relay.
Although swimming is an individual sport,
we will never be alone,
because there's the medley relay.
When we do things together,
things happen.
When you do your best in your team,
everybody
is inspired there and does their best.
There's no secret.
I usually say
we can achieve some things by ourselves,
but we are much stronger together.
I could even get somewhere by myself.
But I've got a coach, a multidisciplinary team,
a nutritionist, doctors, a physical terapist,
who are there,
along with my achievement.
So, you will never be alone.
Because, sometimes, what you need the most
is someone's
smile,
is someone's hug.
I think I love hugs because I've got no hands.
So I can't shake hands, but I can hug.
Always remember that you are never alone.
These are my two sons: Asaph and Daniel.
Daniel. I was way creative giving him that name...
(Laughter)
But...
I like to illustrate that a lot, because...
besides all of my achievements,
and the fact that today I may be an example to you,
I am an example at home.
You're an example wherever you are.
You can be sure there will always be someone looking at you.
Someone will be looking at you and saying, "Gosh, I look up to this guy!"
And that's so cool:
being an example.
This thing of being an example...
Today my son admires me
not due to my achievements, but due to who I am at home.
Do you know why?
He arrived at school in the first day.
Do you know what he said to his classmates?
"My father is the Iron Man, dude!"
Because I've got an artificial limb and...
So one day I took him to school, and I realized his classmates were...
expecting to see the Iron Man, but then Daniel came.
It wasn't the Iron Man, dude!
But I'm a superhero for my son.
So, there's something I learned in my life:
it's not because I've got no arms, and no leg;
it's not because you're dark-skinned, you wear glasses, you're blond;
it's not because I've got no arms that it defines me.
What defines each of us is what's inside us.
It's what is inside you.
So, you can make your dreams come true.
You can build your dreams.
You are an example for those around you.
My son repeats many things I say at home,
he ends up imitating me.
Look at this interesting fact.
How do I open a water bottle?
With my mouth.
How do my kids open a water bottle?
(Laughter)
I talk to them, "You've got hands, guys! Use them!"
(Laughter)
Be the example.
They almost break their teeth, but they want to open the bottle with their mouth.
You are an example.
So, be a good example, because we are missing that.
Out nation is going through hard times,
and we miss good examples.
Be a good example.
May it start with you, may it start with me.
I have no doubt that we'll make the difference
and change the impossible.
[Change the impossible!]
Don't set a limit on your life.
Just like me, you can play drums.
I'm a better swimmer, but I play drums.
But you can change the impossible.
Because I never set a limit on my life in terms of achievement and training.
When I wanted to play an instrument,
I said, "I'll go for it!"
When I wanted to swim, I went for it.
Falling -
we may fall.
Hurting - we may get hurt as well.
But it's important to know how we'll overcome all of that.
It's important to make a difference, to be an inspiration,
to be the different one,
to innovate.
How do I play drums?
My mom made a support for my arms
to which I tie the drumstick, and I play drums.
Left-handed person, I play the big drum, because I've got the left leg.
But I play drums.
I tried to play keyboard,
but then hands were missing.
There's no problem.
We must not give up
in the first obstacle.
Because I tell you,
"As sure as the light of each dawn, yours, mine, our dream is possible.
We can make the impossible happen."
You can,
I can, all of us can,
and so we can inspire generations
to do the same,
to make the impossible happen.
I say,
did I dream about being a champion and winning more than 80 medals?
Yes, I did,
because I believed it was possible.
Do I want to improve?
I do, because someone said I'm preparing for 2020.
I really am.
But medals are not what moves me.
Giving my best daily is what moves me,
being a athlete and a better person,
because I can change the impossible thus.
So I became the greatest medalist in the Paralympic Games,
with a total of 24 medals, being the greatest medalist in the world.
(Applause) (Cheers)
Thank you.
(Applause)
So you can make the impossible happen,
become a champion, not in sport, but in life,
because all of us can be champions.
So, smile.
Life is beautiful, life is simple,
and, if you are in a bad day, remember that I won playing odds,
then you will smile, and everything will be OK.
Right?
Thanks, guys!
(Applause)
Thank you.
(Applause)
Thank you.
(Applause)
Thanks.
(Applause) (Cheers)