- BMX star Sam Willoughby now a dad
- Wife Alise had a baby boy named Beau
- Willoughby became a tetraplegic in 2016
Aussie Olympian Sam Willoughby has revealed his joy at becoming a father almost a decade after he was left paralysed from the chest down following a freak accident.
Willoughby, 33, won silver in the men’s BMX at the 2012 Games in London, but his life came crashing down as a result of the horrific training run crash in America.
Now the star is on cloud nine after his wife Alise gave birth to a baby boy.
‘Beau Matthew Willoughby joined us July 14 at 2:38am and we couldn’t be more in love with our little man,’ the three-time BMX world champion posted on her Instagram.
‘Longer birthing journey than we anticipated but (we are) excited to be home.’
In the lead up to the couple’s wedding in San Diego, on New Year’s Eve in 2017, Willoughby was determined to be vertical for his special day.
Aussie Olympian Sam Willoughby is officially a father, almost a decade after he was left paralysed from the chest down following a freak accident in the US while BMX training
Willoughby, 33, won silver in the men’s BMX at the 2012 Games in London, but his life came crashing down following the horrific training crash
Willoughby’s greatest achievements are being able to finally live independently following his accident – and now, being a father
He did so, walking down the aisle and dancing with his wife in moving scenes.
‘I value life now more than ever and I probably overdo it a little bit sometimes, but I’m just trying to do everything I can to be healthy and keep moving forward,’ he said at the time.
‘I’ve already made gains that they said I never would and my ultimate goal is to be out of the wheelchair one day.’
Willoughby’s family haven’t been surprised by his ongoing physical progress.
‘He’s just been used to setting goals and chipping away at things,’ his mother Sharon said.
‘The sport of BMX, you need to be pretty mentally tough. You train hard, you tick all the boxes but that doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed an outcome.
‘So it’s a bit like that with rehab.’
Sharon Willoughby also paid tribute to her daughter-in-law, who is a four-time Olympian.
‘They are just a remarkable couple together. The support and the energy they get from each other and the positivity is just amazing in itself,’ she added.
