Fernando Fernandes, a world-famous model from São Paulo, was at the peak of his catwalk career when a serious car accident changed his destiny. A spine injury left him paraplegic, but he did not let being in a wheelchair limit his life.

Less than six months after surgery, Fernandes completed the São Silvestre Marathon in his home city, racing for more than 15km in a wheelchair and showing that, with focus and determination, anything is possible.

“It was perhaps the most important moment in my life,” says Fernandes. “In that race, I regained a sense of ability I thought I had lost. When I crossed the finishing line, I realised I could do anything I wanted.”

That was just the start of Fernandes’s career in Paralympic sport. Four years after his accident, he is now a two-time Pan American champion, three-time South American champion and four-time world champion in paracanoe.

“I was born for sport,” he said. “I always played all the sports I could. After the accident, I got involved in various Paralympic sports until I found myself in canoeing.

“When I sat in the kayak, I regained my freedom and had the sensation of ability I thought I had lost. I saw that I was on equal terms with everyone and I perceived I had an enormous responsibility to spread this message and contribute to the sport’s growth.”

"I want to be an image of strength for my country," says Fernandes, who gives seminars about Paralympic sports
(Photo: CPB)

A new addition for the Rio Paralympic Games, paracanoe is a sport that is growing rapidly on the global stage. The first world championship was held in 2010, the same year that the sport was added to the Rio 2016 programme.

According to Fernandes, although paracanoe still has plenty of scope to grow, a new view of Paralympic athletes has been spreading since the Beijing 2008 Games.

“Since then, the growth of Paralympic sport has been incredible,” he said. “London was also sensational, because it held up Paralympic athletes as super-humans and this raised the profile of sport. People stopped seeing disabilities, but rather people with some disability doing sport in an intense way, at elite level and magnificently.”

Already used to the spotlight, dealing with fame is not a problem for Fernandes. Before his accident, he embarked on a career as an international model and became well known across Brazil by participating in a reality show on a national TV channel. Today, the athlete is considered a leader in international Paralympic sport.

Fernandes balances his sports life with modelling work (Photo: fernandofernandeslife.com)

“Before, fame bothered me a lot, because it was completely futile,” he said. “People knew me because I was a model and I took part in a reality show, but it didn’t go much beyond that. Nobody wanted to know what I felt and who I really was.

“Today, what I receive is very different. It’s recognition. It’s no longer about being a model; it’s about Fernando and what he can do. The biggest thing I’ve learned from all this is knowing how to pass on the messages I want to convey, especially through my attitudes.”

Despite his intense training routine, the athlete is dedicated to running the Fernando Fernandes Life Institute, which has the aim of promoting sport for people with a disability in Brazil. Even with a diary full of commitments – he continues with his modelling career in his spare time – Fernandes still finds time for new adventures to test his limits. Since his accident, he has done a marathon, gone handcycling and skydiving, ridden motocross and surfed the Pororoca tidal wave in the Amazon.

“I want to show the world everything that people in wheelchairs can do,” Fernandes says. “Even when I’m not training, my favourite thing is rowing. I love catching waves in a kayak in the sea, for example. It’s a different kind of trip, without the pressure of competitions; it’s just about enjoyment.”

Motivational statements written on Fernandes's bedroom wall. (Photo: Personal Archive)

Asked about his expectations for Rio 2016, Fernandes does not hesitate to confirm that he will be seeking the first paracanoe gold medal in the history of the Paralympic Games.

“My greatest moment will be rowing in my lane in Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas with the stands packed,” he said. “This goes through my head all the time, and I’m focused on training every day until I get there.

“As soon as I wake up, I read the words written on the wall of my bedroom: 'Believe Rio 2016'. I want to be an image of strength for my country and represent everyone who has been excluded from society because they have a disability. I want to convey this strength to all those who haven’t been able to return to life and show that we can be and do what we want.”