Date of Birth: August 4, 1976

Hometown:  Daet, Camarines Norte

Current Occupation: Watch repairman

Disability: Left-leg amputee

Cause of Disability: Road accident

Years in competitive sports: Since 1996

Recent Awards and Accomplishments:

• Silver Medalist, Long Jump, 2008 Asian Games, Thailand
• Bronze Medalist, High Jump, 2008 Asian Games, Thailand
• Silver Medalist, High jump, 2011 SEA Games, Indonesia

Profile:

On display at Andy Avellana’s home is the bough of a pine tree he used as a crutch during his teenage years. It is a reminder, Avellana said, of how he started his journey as a person with disability at age 14, when he lost his left leg after being ran over by a bus.

His leg had to be amputated after the accident, but because his parents  were farmers and could not afford to buy him crutches, he had to make do with boughs his father got him to help him walk. The boughs however could not support his weight and the hard labor he had to do at the farm, so he learned to go from one place to another by hopping on one leg.— Vincent Go

Click here to see the other 2012 Paralympians