Robinson Martínez

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Robinson Martínez (born c. 1980) is a Colombian cyclist who had a leg amputated at the age of five.

Martínez was born into an impoverished family. He lived a normal childhood until he was bitten by a snake. He got immediate medical attention, but his injury worsened.

After getting a gangrene on his right leg, (where he suffered the bite), doctors decided to amputate it, saving his life.

When Martínez was six years old, his brothers received bicycles as Christmas presents. Martínez told his father that he wanted a bicycle too.

Worried that Martínez would not be able to run a bicycle correctly, and that he could get hurt in case of an accident, his father tried to persuade Martínez of the idea of having a bike and he did not buy one for young Robinson.

Martínez, however, was determined to get a bicycle, and he told his father that he thought he could learn to run a bike, like the other boys around him. Soon enough, he began to learn by borrowing his brothers and friends' bikes.

By his teens, Martínez was decided on becoming a cyclist. Soon, he would be nicknamed after a famous Colombian bike racer who was a three time world champion during the 1970s. Martínez set his sights at representing Colombia at international events.

In 2004, Martínez made his dream come true, when he was chosen as a member of Colombia's national team to participate at the 2004 Paralympic Games, held at Athens, Greece.

One day prior to those games' opening acts, his story was showcased in the United States by Maria Celeste Arraras' television show, "Al Rojo Vivo".