Sometimes in life, we encounter some challenges that seem impossible to us and we often give up, but the 68-year-old Anto Sakic from Zenica accepted all the difficulties that life brought to him and fulfilled his dreams. In the Olympic year of 1984, Sakic entered the history as the first man to win the second highest peak in Europe with the help of crutches.
The accident that happened in 1960, which determined destiny to ten years old Anto, did not stop his desire for life. He finished the fourth grade of elementary school during his rehabilitation treatment in Banja Luka, and he continued his childhood after that.
His love for sport and hiking reached its peak in the Olympic year of 1984. When the eyes of the entire world were directed to Sarajevo, the eyes of Anto Sakic were directed to the top of Mont Blanc.
“Mont Blanc was an unimaginable challenge for me back then. The man with no legs dreams about the top of Mont Blanc. It sounds funny, but when I heard that the application process was in progress, I decided to apply. People who knew me also knew all about my success at Igman march, and Gafic and Sisic agreed to accept me as a member of the expedition. The two of them believed that I will succeed and they also became the first men who took a man without a leg to the top of Mont Blanc,” saif Sakic.
“The expedition was difficult for a healthy man, let alone for me. Weather conditions and luck were very important, and although we had some problems and even life threats, we managed to succeed.”
“When we completed Mont Blanc and when I became the first man in the world who won the top of Mont Blanc with , we also considered to win Matterhorn, but the problems in Europe started then and we never managed to fulfil our wish,” stated Sakic.
Although he is now 68 years old, Sakic is active in hiking and other sports activities. After winning Mont Blanc, he played football, table tennis, practiced swimming and tried to be the best despite his physical disadvantage.
Sakic stated that he is happy to tell his anecdotes to people who want to hear the story of his conquest of Mont Blanc and he advised all the young people to fill their free time with some activities.
(Source: E. M./Klix.ba)