Deaf sportsman reaches another peak in his career
TERENCE Parkin is South Africa’s most successful athlete in the Deaflympics.
Now the South African Paralympic champion swimmer has added another item to a long list of accolades. He has become the first deaf sportsman in the country to climb the highest mountain in Africa.
The 34-year-old summitted Kilimanjaro in a fundraising bid for St David’s School for the Deaf in Rosebank.
Parkin, also a teacher at the school, travelled with his sign language interpreter Winners Shishenge, contributor Bianca Schulte and blogger David Batzofin to reach the Uhuru Peak.
Describing the tough climb this week, Parkin said it was a difficult but an amazing experience.
“It took seven hours walking at night to summit. I burst into tears as I was really tired, but afterwards I felt a sense of elation and incredible achievement,” he said, adding he was glad to have had Shishenge to sign for him.
This, he said, ensured he could communicate up the mountain.
While some climbers have buckled under the pressure; the swimmer said giving up is never an option for him.
For inspiration, Parkin took a silver medal he won for the 200m breaststroke in the 2000 Sydney Olympics with him.
The summit was also a campaign close to Parkin’s heart. He said it was his way of proving deaf people are capable of doing almost anything.
Parkin and his team raised R250 000 for the school.
He urged citizens to help the deaf community through programmes and activities, including sports and cultural events.
Asked if he would summit again, Parkin said: “I would love to go with a group of other deaf sportsmen.”