Iranian-born amputee Mohsen Dashti is setting his sights on Paralympic selection after he was granted a Distinguished Talent visa for Australia late last month.
After losing his leg in 2012, Dashti found a new beginning on the athletics field, setting new records in the javelin, discus and shotput.
Abby Dinham reports.
When Mohsen Dashti lost his leg in a traffic accident in Melbourne in 2012, he says, his life fell apart.
"At the beginning, I lost my hope because, really, I have no picture how could it happen and what will happen for me in the future."
He had been driving a truck when the brakes failed.
The vehicle hit a tree, and his right leg was squashed in the impact.
After 12 operations, doctors had to amputate.
Mohsen Dashti had no family, no friends, no permanent residency status in Australia, and, after the accident, he was battling constant pain.
With nothing left to lose, he tried athletics.
Within months, he set new records for the seated mixed javelin, shot put and discus.
His wife, Fatemeh Hazeri, says it has given him a new lease on life.
"Once he find out that he can continue his sport, because he couldn't do gym work much after his surgeries, I think it was really challenging for him. Now, he has completely like a new life, and new hope coming to him. So, yeah, it's fantastic."
In the last 10 months, Dashti has won five gold medals in state and national competitions.
The only thing holding him back then was his residency status.
But the law firm RSG Lawyers and Athletics Australia coach John Eden were willing to work on it, and Eden says Dashti now has a chance to accomplish things.
"He has potential. He works hard, he has a nice aura about him, and he's someone who we would be proud to have represent our country. And he's got the potential to do that."
Just three weeks ago, the efforts on Dashti's residency status paid off.
He was granted a rare Distinguished Talent visa, allowing him to stay in Australia indefinitely and represent the country in international competition.
Now, Dashti says, the sky is the limit.
"My dream is to win Paralympic gold, and I work on it hard. And I'm never going to give up."
And with Paralympic selection now a real possibility, coach John Eden says the really hard work is about to begin.
"I won't take excuses that 'I have to work' or 'I've got my family.' If that's the case, if that's more important, well, you do that, that's fine. But if you want to be an elite athlete and go to the top of the world, you have to put in the work."
And Dashti is.
He says he is determined to win gold, against all odds.
"I want to show to people, especially people with a disability, that we can do it the same as normal people -- even sometimes maybe better, if I could."
