Chapecoense players Neto, left, goalkeeper Follmann, on the wheelchair, and Alan Ruschel, right, the three players that survived the air crash. (File | AP) 
Football

Chapecoense crash survivor Jackson Follmann eyes Paralympics

Chapecoense air crash survivor Jackson Follmann has revealed a desire to compete in the Paralympics as a swimmer.

From our online archive

RIO DE JANEIRO: Chapecoense air crash survivor Jackson Follmann has revealed a desire to compete in the Paralympics as a swimmer.

Follmann, 25, was one of the six survivors of last November's accident in Colombia, which killed 71 people, including 19 of his teammates and all of the Brazilian football club's coaching staff, reports Xinhua news agency.

"I need more time but I want to swim," Follmann told Brazil's SporTV on Monday. 

"It's a great sport because it has low impact. I can't run. At the most I can jog. Swimming could allow me to come back, to have a more healthy life. I'm anxious to compete again."

Follmann, who had the lower half of his right leg amputated, has 80 per cent movement in his left ankle, which is held together by a six-inch titanium rod and four screws.

Chapecoense air crash survivor Jackson Follmann (File | AP)

He said he still attends Chapecoense's matches and training sessions, which goes someway to satisfying his desire to return to competitive sport.

"I can't get used to the idea of being a former sportsperson," he said. "It's still very early to be talking about the Paralympics. I only had surgery six or seven months ago. I need to respect my body because I suffered 13 fractures."

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's gunman, driver attacked in Malappuram; one held

Congress split on Iran stand as Sharma says politicisation is national disservice

TN CM Stalin slams Centre's three-language policy; calls it 'covert mechanism to impose Hindi'

US military aircraft hit in Iran war are first shot down by enemy fire in over 20 years

Naxalite-affected dists across India scaled down to two

SCROLL FOR NEXT