RALEIGH, N.C. — A CrossFit athlete in the Triangle is working to get his visa extended with a dream of opening his own gym and motivating other athletes.
What You Need To Know
Victor Castro is a CrossFit athlete and coach, originally from Ecuador
He has been in the United States for five months, but his visa just expired
He is working to get an O-1 visa specifically for people with extraordinary talents
Victor Castro is a CrossFit athlete and coach. He helps with classes at Neuse River CrossFit. He's been doing CrossFit for 12 years, but that came to a stop in 2012 when he was in a motorcycle accident. When he awoke from a coma, he couldn't feel or move his right arm, but that didn't keep him from working out.
“It took me out of a hole in my life when I was a really young kid, and it showed me the right way, and it gave me opportunities,” Castro said.
Castro made the brave decision to amputate his right arm last year. Once he regained his strength and relearned some of the movements for CrossFit, he competed in his first No Bull CrossFit Games. He placed fourth overall in the upper extremity division.
“With something like an accident, like what happened to me ... gives you the perspective of life of what you really need to do and what you really want to accomplish,” Castro said.
Now, Castro wants to open up his own gym, hoping to inspire athletes of all abilities. But he wants to stay in the United States to do it. The athlete has been here for five months but is originally from Ecuador. His visa just expired.
“It's more of a growth opportunity for me, as a human being and as a man,” Castro said. “I have the chance to grow like I have always wanted to and being (from) Ecuador is a lot harder than being here.”
Castro is aiming to get an O-1 visa. It's specifically for individuals with extraordinary abilities or achievements.
The visa process can be costly and take months to complete. But Castro is determined to stay. A GoFundMe has been created on his behalf to help him raise the money he will need for legal representation and government fees.
"I want to be here, and I want to stay here to bring opportunities down in my country," Castro said. "So I can build something, and it's going to make people notice that being adaptive is not a problem. It's more like encouraging to do and try new things.”
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Editor's Note: This story has been updated to correct the length of Mr. Castro’s time in the U.S.