A six-year-old Bosnian boy, Ismail Zulfic born without arms and with a deformed foot beats odds to become a swimming champion.

Ismail’s parents and an inspirational sports instructor have helped him overcome his physical limitations – and a fear of water – to win a gold medal at a regional competition for disabled swimmers.

Amel Kapo, a sports graduate, founded a free swimming club with free classes for children with disabilities at a Sarajevo pool without any state support.


Zulfic’s parents could barely afford to drive their son to swimming lessons twice a week from their hometown of Zenica, 44 miles north of Sarajevo.


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But Spid has been helping cover the cost of fuel and some of the swimming gear with donations they secured from a supportive local company and international aid groups.

Kapo’s efforts got the attention of the Swim Strong Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit group, whose founder Shawn Slevin traveled to Sarajevo to help coach some 50 disabled children from across Bosnia who had joined up over the past year