作者：Iris Liu （八年级）
说到铁人三项赛，你会想到什么？是速度，是毅力，还是激情？铁人三项赛包括三个比赛项目：游泳、自行车和跑步，这些项目要求参与者必须克服疲劳、面对困难，并展示出顶尖的运动能力和身体素质。可以说，这项比赛是体育精神和毅力的集中体现，更代表了对自我挑战和超越的追求。那么，当一个13岁的截肢男孩来到美国铁人三项公开赛（PTO US Open Triathlon），会发生什么呢？无疑，他的到来会将对自身的挑战推向一个新的高度。接下来，我要与您分享我在今年铁人三项赛上亲眼所见的励志故事。
When you think of the PTO US Open Triathlon, what crosses your mind? Is it speed, perseverance, or passion? The Triathlon is a professional race where America’s best athletes compete in three events: Swimming, biking, and running. These events require participants to overcome great hardships. In the face of challenges, they display top notch athleticism and endurance. It can be said that this competition is an expression of sportsmanship and determination, representing the pursuit of excellence and self-improvement. So what happens when a 13-year-old amputee boy takes the challenge to the next level? This is what I witnessed at the US Open Triathlon 2023, right here in Milwaukee.
2023年8月6日，在《密城时报》青少年版的组织下，我和一群小伙伴们来到了密尔沃基市内的密西根湖畔，为我今天这个故事的主角加油助威。主角的名字叫做Tray Sarich，他于2010年7月20日出生在中国江苏省。起初的几年里，Tray是一个没有胫骨的孤儿。直到他快满六岁的前一个月，一位名叫Debbie Sarich的善良女士收养了他，并让他与其他六个孩子一起有了一个温暖的家。在Debbie的照顾下，Tray逐渐培养起了对体育的强烈兴趣，而这份对体育的热爱正是我在当天比赛中从他的眼中所能看到的。
On August 6th, 2023, my friends and I arrived at the Michigan Lake Bay area in downtown Milwaukee to cheer on the protagonist of today’s story: Tray Sarich was born on July 20th, 2010 in Jiang Su Province in China. Tray was born without a shinbone and for the first couple of years of his life, he was an orphan. That is, until the month before he turned six, when a kind woman by the name of Debbie Sarich took him in and gave him a home along with six other children. Under Debbie’s care, Tray slowly developed a strong passion for sports, a passion I saw in his eyes at the USA National Triathlon.
在铁人三项赛开始的游泳比赛中，我看到Tray在他的竞争组中最后跳入水中，8月份的密西根湖水依然冰澈透骨，但这并没有阻止Tray获胜的决心。Tray在陪同教练的支持下，奋力地游过去，并赶超了前面的几个人。不一会儿，在陪同教练的帮助下，Tray上岸了。他没有丝毫停歇的意思，紧接着奔赴自行车赛道。当他来到自行车赛道的起点时，他不得不换上义肢，这让他的速度有所减慢。尽管如此，他似乎毫不畏惧，而此刻我也意识到，他在比赛中竟然使用了和我们普通人一样的脚踏自行车，而不是手踏的。后来，我们从他的妈妈口中了解到，Tray在手踏自行车上技术娴熟，而他一周前才刚刚学会如何使用普通的脚踏自行车。尽管可以选择骑他习惯的手踏自行车，Tray还是决定在铁人三项赛中挑战自己，这种不停挑战自己的能力简直让我太惊叹了！经过一段时间的等待，Tray完成了骑行比赛来到了跑步的起点。只见他娴熟地换上用于跑步的义肢，接下来还有一个几千米的赛跑，可是他一点儿也没有退缩的意思，斗志满满完成了整个比赛。当他冲向跑道的终点时，场外的观众都在为他呐喊，此刻，他是场上最闪亮的英雄。
At the start of the Triathlon, the swimming event, I saw Tray jump in last in his competitive group, but that didn’t stop him. He continued to swim his way through the course with the support of his coach and caught up to several people. Right after the swimming event was a running-to-biking transition. Tray’s disability slowed him down as he had to switch between two different prosthetic legs, one for running and one for biking. Regardless, he appeared unnerved and kept pushing through the events. Another thing that amazed me was Tray’s resolve. As I saw Tray transitioning to the biking portion of the race, I realized that he was using a foot-paddled bike instead of a hand-paddled one. From this observation, I learned that Tray was skilled and very well-trained on the hand-paddled bike. Despite having the choice to ride the hand-paddled bike that he was used to, Tray decided to challenge himself with a regular foot paddled one that he had just recently learned to use. Even amidst a professional race like the Triathlon, Tray was pushing himself to his limits. Right after the biking segment, Tray quickly changed his prosthetic leg for the three-kilometer run. He did not waver in his determination and finished the race even with his disability. As Tray sprinted to the finish line, the crowd outside the track chanted and cheered him on. In that bright and shining moment, Tray was the brighteststar of the show.
赛后，我们啦啦队成员和Tray一起合了影，还给他赠送了我们精心准备的礼物。当我们全程目睹了Tray Sarich在2023年美国铁人三项公开赛上的勇敢旅程后，我相信在场的每一个小伙伴都会对他坚定不移的决心和不屈不挠的精神深感惊叹，坚毅的Tray为我们树立了一个鼓舞人心的榜样。Tray的故事告诉我们，折翅的鸟儿也能翱翔，只要你想。在逆境面前，不要低头哀叹，只要抬头望天，坚持追寻自己的梦想，你就会看到希望的光芒。
After the Triathlon, our “cheerleading squad” came in for a group photo with Tray. He also received carefully prepared gifts from the Milwaukee Chinese Times Youth Editors Group. We who witnessed Tray Sarich’s remarkable journey at the US Open Triathlon 2023 in Milwaukee, were deeply amazed by his unwavering determination and indomitable spirit. Tray’s perseverance sets an inspirational model for us all. His story teaches us that we can accomplish anything, as long as we want it in our hearts. In the face of challenge, don’t give up and sigh. Instead, raise your head in hope, and reach for the stars.
图片来源：作者/文小年/七彩娘娘微信号
特别致谢：感谢《密城时报》编辑部对此次活动的精心组织！
编辑：《密城时报》青少年版编辑部
