Anyone watching the procession of nations during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics had to be struck by Venezuela's lone athlete, alpine skier Antonio Pardo, who enthusiastically danced his way around the stadium. Turns out Pardo has plenty of reasons to dance. The 43-year-old Caracas native began skiing recreationally in 1988 in St. Mortiz, Switzerland, and only began racing in 2011. He began participating in official races after becoming unemployed. (He was formerly a banker.) But that's not the most amazing bit of Pardo's life story: At just eight years old, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and given only three months to live.
- 2/8/2014
- by Alex Heigl
- PEOPLE.com
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