Steel Will: Severely Wounded Boy is Now a Top Athlete!

When he was severely wounded as a five-year-old boy during the aggression on Bosnia and Herzegovina, and became 60 percent disabled, Adnan Kešmer never dreamed that one day he would wear the jersey of the national team of BiH and be among the best athletes in Europe.

Today, Kešmer is one of the best players of the trophy-winning national team of BiH in sitting volleyball, and the best libero in Europe. Sport has opened doors to a life for this young man that criminals wanted to take away from him when he was just a boy.

Kešmer says that he started training sitting volleyball in 2005, and joined the national team in 2010, participating in the World Championship in Oklahoma that same year.

- I started training at the urging of my neighbor Mehmed Čolić, who was involved in sitting volleyball even before the war. He persuaded me for a long time, but one day he stopped his car, put me in, and took me to training. Now I just hope I can continue to engage in this sport for a long time to come - says Kešmer.

Besides his parents, who were and remain his greatest support after his severe injury, Kešmer emphasizes that he also had the support of his colleagues during his schooling. He never encountered prejudice, and he encourages young people with disabilities not to give up, because there is hope.

- I call on young people to come, to make a change, to see that not everything is black. Parents also bear some responsibility, as they don't know how to guide their children properly. There are 30 sitting volleyball clubs in BiH. Three leagues with 10 clubs each, that's not a small number. I don't see any reason why children should sit at home; it doesn't have to be sitting volleyball, it can be any other sport. There is no difference between a disabled person and a normal person - he says.

The national team of BiH in sitting volleyball has won numerous medals for first, second, and third places. Adnan says that the most beautiful feeling was when they won gold at the London 2012 Paralympics.

- We won gold ahead of Iran, which has far better conditions than us. But, perhaps the Bosnian stubbornness kicked in, and we won. The feeling is indescribable; you have to experience it. You've reached the pinnacle of the sports world, and I have no words for it - states Adnan. Last year, at the European Championship, they won the gold medal for the 8th time.

- I was declared the best libero in Europe, among the top six players - says Adnan.

This year, the national team faces the World Championship in Poland. Traditionally, preparations begin in May in Fojnica.

- We have to reclaim the gold we lost in 2010 - Adnan says with a smile.