Quadruple amputee, Raemondo Lessing has achieved 18th place in the world out of 50 athletes in his division and arrived home this week after representing South Africa at the 2022 Pismo Beach ISA World Para Surfing championship in California.
The South African team achieved fifth place in the world out of 28 countries, surpassing the surfing giants such as Japan and Hawaii.
Raemondo was part of a team of 14 athletes from South Africa with support members such as family and coaches.
Raemondo received one silver medal, bronze and copper for his division known as prone 2. This is an assisted division where the swimmer is pushed out to the water with an assistant until they catch a wave and are tested on their skill while placing their weight on the board.
At five months, Raemondo was diagnosed with meningococcal Meningitis and was placed in a coma for months, whereby his legs and one forearm and hand were amputated.
The teen attends Jan Kriel High School and will be in Grade 11 next year.
Last week, his mother, Edwina Masulela, told of how doctors had given up hope on her son and that she knew God did not make a mistake with her son and that he was destined for greatness.
He has three other siblings, and his mother is a single parent.
He is part of the Roxy Davis Foundation, a Surfing Therapy Clinic in Muizenberg, which was founded by head coach Roxy Davis, who is a nine-time South African World champion surfer, and he has only been surfing for the past 18 months.
Davis was Raemondo’s guardian while he was in California.
The teen is also part of Adaptive Surfers of South Africa.
The team had to raise a whopping R1 019 000 to foot the bill, which included the need for physiotherapists and coaches.
Raemondo described surfing as being free, and he had lived his dream of representing South Africa.
He detailed how he uses his core (stomach muscles) to balance himself on the waves.
“When I am out there in the water, it is just me and the water, and at that moment, the other stuff comes after,” he said.
“It was an amazing experience to be in California with my team, representing our country.
“It has been my dream since I started surfing to represent my country, and on December 4, on my 16th birthday, I received my SA colours.
“I use my stomach, my core to surf. If I just use my arms, I will fall.
“I do gym to train and strengthen my core.”
Masulela said she was proud of her son, who had determination since he was born and is also a Western Province table tennis player: “The month before he left for California, he was at the beach every weekend and worked hard.”
Davis said she was extremely proud of the team.
“We have been placed 5th in the world, and this is the highest place achieved for para surfing in the country.
“When I met Raemondo for the first time in May 2021, he said he would like to represent South Africa one day, and he didn’t think it would come so soon.
“When the world championships opened, he was the one who was the flag bearer.”
Team SA champs, also from the Western Cape, include Caleb Swanepoel, who is ranked eighth in the world in his division known as stand three, Noluthando Makalima, ranked fifth in her prone two division and Michelle MacFarlane, ranked eighth in her V12 division.