Colorado Champions Road to Gold: Paralympian reflects on representing Team USA
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Five years ago, Mohamed Lahna was our very first Colorado Champion. We joined him for a training session in 2019.
Lahna was born and raised in Morocco and represented his home country at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, winning bronze. And now Lahna's training has brought him back to Colorado Springs.
"Training is going very very well," says triathlete, Mohamed Lahna.
Lahna uses a special prosthetic leg for the running portion of his triathlon event. He was born without a right femur and was told he would always have physical limitations, but that didn't stop him. After playing sports on crutches and makeshift legs, his athletic ability was completely redefined after receiving a real running prosthetic at 20. And in the years since Lahna's become a world-class athlete.
Competing at this level has always been a dream, but so was wearing red, white, and blue, which he did for the first time at a 2021 race.
"This dream has been now in the works for like almost 7 years and I still wanted that to happen," says Lahna. "COVID put a pause on that and then I almost gave up on that, but the fire was still on because I really wanted to do that, I love this country, and all my kids were born here."
Lahna is a husband and dad of three. His wife is taking care of the kids in California while he trains for the most important event of his life. All of them are eager to be together for the Paris Paralympics.
"If I go for a run or long ride I will sometimes take them with me, so they are part of this," says Lahna. "And I hope with them going with me to Paris and seeing that on display and all the hard work for all these years just for that specific day they will learn something and be proud of that."
With his family in tow, and proudly representing Team USA, Lahna is hoping for his best race yet.
"Chances are really good, but also you know everybody is training, everybody in their corner working hard preparing for this day," says Lahna. "I never underestimate any athlete there on the start list. I am going to go there and we have full confidence that we are going to have a good performance there and I just hope it is going to be the right day for that."
