Powerlifting way to the top

In June 2010, Matt Gordon lay in a hospital bed contemplating spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

Two days prior, the Te Aroha man, who was 20 at the time, was crushed when six round barn doors weighing in excess of 450kg, fell on top of him in a work place accident in Morrinsville.

The impact folded Gordon in half and his body’s imprint was left in the bottom three doors.

Two of his workmates lifted the doors off him.

‘‘It was pure adrenalin. After I had been taken away in the ambulance, they tried to move the doors again and couldn’t even budge them, they had to get a forklift in,’’ he said.

He was left with no sensation from his hips down.

Every specialist and surgeon who visited Gordon said the prognosis was bad - the likelihood of him walking again was pretty much zero. Matt Gordonwas told he would never walk again but is nowtraining for power lifting championship. Go online to see the video.

‘‘They described my T12 vertebrae as a can of tuna that had been smashed with a sledgehammer. It was completely obliterated.’’

Gordon was transferred to the Otara Spinal Unit where he was advised to get the ‘‘knack’’ of using a wheelchair.

Instead of accepting that as his lot in life, he got his sister Jessica to put the wheelchair away in a cupboard.

‘‘It’s all about how hard you want to push yourself. Out of sight, out of mind. I didn’t want it (the wheelchair) there to rely on,’’ he said.

Faced with life as a paraplegic, Gordon said he had two options.

‘‘I could just stay down and give up or say ‘nah I’m going to do it. I’m going to get up and live and I’m going to walk again’.’’

While he was at the spinal unit, Gordon focused on building his upper body strength. This was where the desire to be a power/ bench lifter was born.

Gordon remembers the moment he got out of his chair and took his first steps like it was yesterday.

‘‘There were lots of tears,’’ he said.