Kelvin van Baalen’s life completely changed on June 28, 2018.

The then 21-year-old paraglider crashed into power lines while landing. Despite having 11 000V surge through his body, Van Baalen was able to clip himself loose from his parachute and roll more than 100m through the grass to extinguish the flames on his body.

Eight years later, and defying all odds, he returned to the same mountains that altered the course of his life for the 2026 Barberton Paragliding Open.

Thinking back on that day, Van Baalen recalled that he was not completely aware of the seriousness of his injuries, but was rather more worried about the cost of replacing his equipment.

What followed was 413 days in ICU with burns over more than 75% of his body, and three months of intensive rehabilitation. Van Baalen had to be resuscitated nine times during his hospital stay, and the chances of him ever walking again were slim.

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He was, however, determined to get better, integrate back into society, and return to the sport he had inherited a love for from his father.

After the accident, Van Baalen began receiving frequent invitations to give motivational speeches, particularly within the medical field and to people facing similar situations.

“Before facing a challenging situation, people never truly know what they are capable of. No matter how it turns out, everything will be okay – what seems like the end of the world will seem less significant a year down the line,” he said.

He has never regretted flying that day. According to him, there is no use dwelling on the past and wondering what his life would’ve been like if it weren’t for the accident.

“There is no point in having that mindset since it doesn’t change anything,” he said.

His love for paragliding didn’t dwindle after the accident. In fact, immediately after the accident, he started thinking about when he would be able to return to the air.

“Flying for the first time again was like riding a bike – exactly how it was years ago. There was no fear, only some pressure.”

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Van Baalen started playing golf soon after his recovery. He is now a member of the South African Disabled Golf Association. He has started playing against able-bodied competitors, mostly driven by his competitive nature.

He doesn’t see his survival and recovery as a miracle. According to him, labelling it as such takes away from all the hard work and dedication it took for him to return to paragliding. Van Baalen is proud to take credit for how far he has come since.

“I was never a quitter, and I was always determined to prove everyone wrong.”

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