‘The first thing I asked when I woke up was if I was going to play again’

Most of the athletes competing at the Chengdu FISU World University Games share the same passion for sport.

For them, it’s a way of life.

But what happens when sport saves your life? What happens when it is what pushes you to get ahead to face a train that didn’t have time to stop?

When you have to face an intensive therapy, cuts all over your body, broken bones, and the news of having to start from the beginning by learning how to walk again?

Ignacio Ruiz is a 24-year-old volleyball player from Argentina.

The sport is a tradition in his family. His uncle and his aunt were members of the national team too.

At the age of 5, he started to play basketball and then moved to volleyball when he was 13.

“Volleyball was my motivation to get ahead,” he says, remembering the date of May 15th, 2015.

“I’m going to tell you from what my family has told me, because I don’t remember anything about that day,” he starts. “I was walking to my volleyball practice with my best friend, after having lunch with my grandparents.

“I had to go through the train tracks and I was unlucky enough to be there at just the right time when the train passed.”

The driver had fallen asleep and woke up 5 seconds before. He honked, but it was too late.

The train hit Ruiz head on and then ran over him. It managed to stop 50 meters later. His friend was lucky to escape unharmed because he was walking behind.

Ruiz woke up two days after being put in an induced coma.

“As soon as I woke up, I asked three questions: “What happened to me? Do I have all my limbs? Will I be able to play volleyball again?”.

A focused mind, a strong passion

“I knew that if I didn’t work hard, I wasn’t going to get ahead. I always kept a positive mind because they told me that I was going to be able to play again.”

Ruiz spent a week and a half in intensive care and then another month and a half in the hospital. His most severe injuries were a broken femur, sprained ankle, cuts all over his body, and an injury to his skull.

Upon returning home, he was responsible for improving day by day.

“The kinesiology team became kind of my family,” he says laughing. His recovery was intense and long since he had to relearn how to walk.

The fastest and most incredible lap

“When I was able to walk with crutches, I had a little contact with the ball again.”

Just six months after his accident, Ruiz was able to compete again in an official tournament.

“I knew that that was the way, and it was really fast,” he adds with a smile.

A team that pushes and supports

“From the moment I arrived at the hospital it was crazy how many people there were. About 40 people in a room where only ten visitors were allowed. Without that love, I wouldn’t be here.”

It was his family and his team who pushed him forward.

For many people, what happened to Ruiz was a miracle. For him it was one more obstacle to face. He thinks that excuses don’t exist. He thinks there are no lost battles.

He competed at the Mérida 2022 FISU America Games. Now, looking at these Chengdu FISU Games, he wants to do his best for his team and win the gold medal.

But he also added: “I understand that this is an opportunity to learn, enjoy and have fun too. I want to live the experience and make unforgettable moments with my team.”

Argentina will go for a perfect 3-0 record in pool play on Wednesday against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Written by Julieta Boschiazzo, FISU Young Reporter