Despite winning gold for Australia, Special Olympics athlete Michael Van Wilgenburg still faced hurdles getting his first job.
Mr Van Wilgenburg, 20, of Altona North, won gold in the long jump at the Special Olympics Asia Pacific Games in 2013.
Last year, he completed a work education program at Victoria University before approaching Wesley Employment Services, which helped him secure his first paid job at McDonald’s.
“It’s hard, you have to keep fighting,” he said.
“You have to never give up; same thing when I do training and running – I never give up.
“I want to keep working on achieving goals, like the next step, the next step.
“By the end of the day, you get people like Wesley and others support you to get to this position where you are now, and I’m honoured to be one of them.”
Mr Van Wilgenburg, adopted from India at age seven, is continuing to obtain qualifications towards his future goal of working in sport and recreation.
He still competes, training three nights a week at Aberfeldie Athletics Track.
“I’m proud of who I am,” he said.
“You think, ‘oh, but I wish I didn’t have a disability’; I want to be normal.
“But I am normal.”
Wesley community relations manager Vicki Walsh said Mr Van Wilgenburg’s outgoing personality and tenacious attitude had helped him gain employment.
“I just think that young people – or old people – with a disability have something to offer,” she said.
“We really just ask employers to give them a chance to contribute to their business.”
