“The world’s greatest achievers have been those who have always stayed focused on their goals and have been consistent in their efforts.” ― Dr. Roopleen

When you have the talent, will, and determination to succeed, nothing can stop you.

Nothing stopped an 11-year athlete in the Philippines from winning multiple gold medals in a sports competition, not even the fact that she didn’t wear running shoes.

Rhea Bullos, a pupil at Salvacion Elementary School in Balasan, Iloilo, wrapped her feet in “shoes” made with plaster bandages and even added a ‘Nike’ swoosh lookalike.

Trainer, Predirick B. Valenzuela, shared photos of the young hero on Facebook and wrote:

“LOOK: Rhea Bullos of Balasan, Iloilo won 3 golds despite her makeshift ‘NIKE’ shoes. Rhea won in the 400, 800, and 1500 meter run elementary girls in the ongoing Iloilo Schools Sports Council Meet 2019.”

Rhea’s success made her nation extremely proud, and many people online spread the story by tagging popular sports brands and sports stores, including Titan 22, a basketball specialty store.

To show his appreciation, Jeffrey Cariaso, the co-founder of Titan and a head coach of the Philippines’ Alaska Aces professional basketball team, met with her.

Her dedication was praised by numerous people, and many offered to buy her running shoes, while others asked Nike to sponsor the talented runner.

Shortly afterward, a tabloid newspaper in the Philippines tweeted photos of the amazing girl at a shoe store in a local mall, trying on some brand new kicks.

One person commented:

“This is by far the best thing I have seen today! This girl is truly an inspiration and has definitely warmed my heart. From the look of it, she was unable to afford runners but she turned it into a positive and won!! Go, girl.” 

The story was also shared on Twitter, and another user tweeted:

“Someone start a petition to Nike for ALL 3 of these girls (her+her 2 friends that did the same thing) to receive a lifetime of free Nikes for them and their families.”

Help me connect with her please. https://t.co/clxKKpBXdP

— Jeff Cariaso (@thejet_22) December 10, 2019

Many people encouraged her to follow her passion:

 “Keep dreams burning and hold on to those dreams!”

Sources:
educateinspirechange.org
themindunleashed.com
www.shape.com