BMX Battler Stands Up for Love
Aussie BMX champion Sam Willoughby has defied all odds to stand and marry his fiancé, 15 months after a debilitating accident.
The South Australian wowed friends and family when he stood up at his wedding on New Years Day 2018.
Fifteen months prior Willoughby was declared a tetraplegic after suffering a severe accident at training, breaking his back and shattering hopes of ever walking again.
The two-time world champion and Olympic silver medallist went through an intense physical recovery program after the 2016 accident, in which he fractured his C6 and C7 vertebrae.
He progressed from riding a stationary bike to crawling, eventually standing with the help of some nifty tech.
A pair of custom-made braces from the US allowed him to stand unassisted without his knees buckling.
Worth around $10,000, the braces enabled him to wed fellow BMX star, American Alise Post.
He stood for the ceremony and even the couples first dance, which was met with rapturous applause from guests.
The inspirational world champion will continue his recovery, aiming to be back on the bike one day.
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