Interview with Dejan Zafirov, a young man, who cycled 5.300 kilometers from New York to San Francisco. Five years ago, Dejan lost his left leg and since then he walks with the help of a prosthetic leg, but he never forgot his dreams.
Dejan in San Francisco
“Sport should not be an obstacle to people who are physically challenged… Physical challenge should not be a reason why we forget about our dreams.”
With this thought in mind, Dejan Zafirov, a young man from Stip, ventured on his great feat – cycling from the east to the west coast of the USA. The journey from New York to San Francisco took exactly two months. He received the Ambassador’s Award for Sports Diplomacy from the US Ambassador in Macedonia Paul Wohlers, for his courage and the example that he gives to others, and for a successfully accomplished goal.
Dejan’s dream began after the nightmare he went through five years ago when he lost his left leg in an accident at his workplace. Since then he walks with the help of a prosthetic leg. His disability motivated him to set a goal for himself – to travel 24000 kilometres on all continents on a bicycle. Since 2009 he has managed to cycle 14000 km. This success was an incentive to organize the first summer camp for young people with disabilities last year, where they had an opportunity to practice sports. “My primary goal was to motivate and encourage these young people to live their dreams. Without it, my journey would be in vain.” – says Zafirov for Balkon 3, and we strongly support him and his cause. “Keep on riding Dejan!”
Mirko Trajanovski
