Cooper McLennan, 10, made history by not only being the only New Zealander to attend the World Ability Sport International Camp and Cup in Denmark, but also by winning gold in all the races he was entered in.
Cooper competed in the 100m, 400m, 800m and 1500m frame running races.
His mum, Jalisa McLennan, raised more than $20,000 to help get her son and herself, as well as Cooper’s dad and sister, to Denmark.
"The experience has been life changing, not just for Cooper, but for all of us.
"This was Cooper's first time competing ... we weren’t expecting any medals or placing, but he absolutely smashed it."
As an incentive, Ms McLennan promised a PS5 if Cooper brought home a gold medal.
"We’re going PS5 shopping next week", she said.
Cooper was diagnosed with Perthes disease — a rare bone disease where blood flow is lost to the ball of the hip joint.
Ms McLennan said Cooper and her family would not have got anywhere without the help of the hundreds of people who donated to their Givealittle campaign, or any of the companies that donated directly.
"We’ve been living and breathing fundraising for months, and seeing Cooper out there just showed me it was all worth it."
Cooper said that aside from the competition and camp — and winning his medals — his favourite memory of the trip was going to Tivoli Gardens, the third-oldest operating amusement park in the world..
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