Challenged Athletes Foundation members Scout Bassett and Umida Lesicko competed in the Malibu Triathlon on Sunday.
Bassett, 23, lost her leg in a fire before her first birthday. She lived in an orphanage in China until she was adopted at seven years old by a couple from Michigan. She did not learn to swim until she was 19 because of a fear of water that stemmed from a disciplinary tactic used in the orphanage where she lived. The current UCLA student is now a world-class athlete who placed third in the International Triathlon Union (ITU) Triathlon World Championship game in Beijing earlier this month.
Lesicko was abandoned at an orphanage in Uzbekistan when she was five days old. She recalled hardships such as being locked in a cage with other children at the orphanage. When she was seven years old, a California woman adopted her. The 18-year-old is now a high school senior training for the Paralympics taking place in London in 2012. She has already begun taking college courses in addition to her regular curriculum.
“I want to reach out to people in my country and tell them anything is possible,” Lesicko said. “If you give the kids the help, they can accomplish their goals and succeed.”