Meet Bobby Body, the US army veteran powerlifter who battled through child abandonment, homelessness and an IED to make it to the Paralympics in Paris

Bobby Body has heard galore jokes astir his name. But it’s not a pun aliases a WWE gimmick. It’s his existent name. It conscionable happens to beryllium 1 that is very fitting for a powerlifter.

Yet, conscionable complete a twelvemonth ago, powerlifting astatine nan 2024 Paralympic Games seemed a agelong measurement disconnected for Body. The 50-year-old was stuck. He had yet to bodypress complete 500 pounds - a people which would beryllium important if he had immoderate dream of making nan podium successful Paris.

But arsenic a US seasoned who has travel done nan hardships of abandonment astatine property 5 and homelessness, Body is nary alien to fighting and his travel to Paris has been nary exception.

In 5 weeks time, Body will correspond Team USA successful nan French capital, wherever thing little than gold, simply won’t beryllium bully enough.

‘There is nary bronze. There is nary silver. Gold is nan goal,’ Body says astatine nan Team USA acme successful New York.

Yet nan way to nan podium hasn’t been an easy one. Far from it. Body was abandoned by his mother astatine a Texas autobus extremity erstwhile he was conscionable five. His begetter was sent to prison, leaving him and his sister to beryllium raised successful an orphanage.

He was concisely homeless, sleeping connected nan streets and utilizing a Greyhound autobus position bath to lavation his look and teeth earlier yet striking a woody pinch a Palm Springs edifice owner. He watered nan plants and cleaned nan excavation successful speech for a room wherever he could make himself presentable to motorboat a occupation hunt.

After nan attacks connected 9/11, Body enlisted successful nan US service but while deployed successful Iraq his conveyance was deed by an IED forcing him to require aggregate surgeries earlier his near limb had to beryllium amputated supra nan knee successful 2013.

Body says he fought truthful difficult to enactment successful nan army, contempt his galore surgical procedures, that nan Secretary of Defense issued him pinch retirement, alternatively than a aesculapian discharge.

And that fighting tone appears to seep into everything Body applies himself excessively - particularly powerlifting.

Two years aft his amputation, he discovered powerlifting but it wasn’t until 2021 that, aft years of nan High Performance Manager for nan Paralympic squad continuously reaching out, that he yet sewage into para powerlifting.

‘I was very disappointment pinch not being capable to tally and jump again amongst different things,’ Body explains. So nan VA told maine to spell to nan gym to tally retired immoderate of that aggression.

‘I was chair pressing 1 day, and nan proprietor of nan gym said, “You're beautiful beardown for personification that's disabled.” And, they asked, “Have you ever considered powerlifting?”

‘At first, I was like, “There's nary measurement I tin do that.” Then I went to watch nan title and it was nan coolest point I've ever seen.’

The Paralympic squad first reached retired successful 2015 but Body turned them down. He did truthful again successful 2018 earlier he yet caved successful 2019 only for nan Covid-19 pandemic to scupper his plans. They reached retired for a 4th and last clip successful 2021 and nan remainder is history.

A double metallic medalist astatine nan 2023 World Para Powerlifting Championships successful Dubai, Body went connected to declare golden astatine nan Parapan American Games successful November.

But moreover aft his 2 silvers successful Dubai, he felt thing was missing. That’s erstwhile he reached retired to nan USOPC who group him up pinch nan intelligence wellness services.

Body had already been seeing a therapist for nan PTSD he suffered from nan subject but it was his sports therapy that has unlocked his existent potential.

He revealed that wrong 2 months of being linked up pinch nan USOPC’s intelligence wellness services, he went from lifting 217kg to 228kg. He now believes he’s connected way to hit nan world grounds of 254 kg - astir half nan weight of a expansive piano.

‘It wasn't because of my training that I sewage that overmuch stronger,’ he said. ‘They sewage maine to judge that I was really stronger than I really was - not conscionable physically but emotionally and mentally.’

‘Ever since I sewage backmost from Iraq, I will spot nan PTSD therapist astir erstwhile a period conscionable to support maine connected an moreover keel and and make judge I'm doing okay. But they didn't cognize overmuch astir athletics intelligence health. So, aft Dubai, I thought, “Okay, well, I person my PTSD therapist, however, I request personification to thief maine pinch my training to effort to get to Paris.” That's erstwhile I reached retired to nan USOPC intelligence wellness and we sewage connected and we meet erstwhile a week, each azygous week.’

But moreover accepting thief was a conflict for Body, who admits that he had to conflict passim his ain pride.

‘I person to study really to judge help,’ he said. ‘Because I can't do this connected my own. I can't get to Paris connected my own.’

Even arsenic Body specifications nan tribulations he’s faced successful life, he does truthful pinch an infectious bubbly laughter and a megawatt grin fresh for nan metallic screen.

And if Body’s Paralympic dream doesn’t spell to plan, that grin could very good extremity up connected film. If Hollywood comes calling, he won’t beryllium hanging up nan phone.

‘I would successful a heartbeat,’ Body admitted erstwhile asked if he’d see pursuing an acting career,

‘I've done commercials, and they're ever like, “who's your agent, you request to do this, you request to do that.” I don't person an supplier but I would emotion to beryllium portion of thing that has to do pinch spot sport.

‘I went to a UFC fight, wherever I met The Rock - that's a large quality excessively - group thought we were related. And I was like, “Hey, get maine connected 1 of your movies, aliases get maine connected nan WWE.”

One of Body’s existing acting credits is acknowledgment to nan UFC. Body filmed a commercialized for nan organization, who successful return offered him nan gym of his dreams.

‘The UFC said, “What do you request to thief you beryllium successful to spell to Paris?” And I was like, good if I had a authorities of nan creation gym, past it'd beryllium a nary brainer.

‘They said, “Okay, we're going to build an summation to your house, and we're going to build a gym. What do you request successful that gym to beryllium successful?”’

Before he knew it, a stunned Body had his ain civilization location gym filled pinch each nan powerfulness racks, dumbbells and instrumentality he could need.

But it’s not conscionable instrumentality Body has required to thief powerfulness him to Paris. Some 3,500 to 4,000 calories per time are besides required to substance him. ‘Not a full lot,’ according to him.

‘I besides person to support my weight nether a definite weight for my weight class,’ he explains.’ My woman repast preps for me. She's a awesome cook, truthful that helps a lot.

‘Once I made nan Paralympic team, that's erstwhile my fare had to change. I was eating pizza and worldly for illustration that because I loved it. But erstwhile I made nan team, that's erstwhile she cooked rice, grilled chicken, beef and worldly for illustration that.’

It’s a fare Body hopes will support him firing until 2028 erstwhile nan Olympics return to Los Angeles for a games connected location soil.

‘I emotion doing this,’ he insists. ‘I'll do it until my assemblage tells maine it can't do it anymore. So I'm hoping to beryllium that 95 twelvemonth aged feline connected nan bench.’

Body’s travel done life has been long. It’s been reliable but it’s not complete yet. With nan resilience he’s summoned to propulsion himself done nan darkest of times pinch a grin still connected his face, there’s nary uncertainty he'll beryllium successful nan City of Angels if he wants to be. Then, and possibly then, he’ll see retirement.

But earlier past he’s bringing his infectious positivity to Paris, wherever Gold is nan goal.