"When I started out, a lot of people didn't believe I could do it. My disability is my ability to inspire," said Caleb Mutombo, 19.
This man may be only 3-foot-7-inches tall, but he has dreams of becoming huge — not in height, but in muscle.
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Meet Caleb Mutombo, a 19-year-old bodybuilder from Johannesburg, South Africa, who aspires to one day get into the big leagues.
"I love to see my body grow," Mutombo told Caters News. "I love to feel full of energy and fit at the same time."
Despite weighing less than 80 pounds and needing assistance walking, Mutombo squats 65 pounds, lifts 25 pounds, and beats body builders twice his size in local competitions.
“When I started out, a lot of people didn’t believe I could do it,” he said. “My disability is my ability to inspire.”
He explained he was born in the Congo, and suffered from an undiagnosed disability that caused him to grow at a slower rate. By the time he turned 14, he stopped growing.
But instead of accepting his size, Mutombo decided to start lifting weights.
When he was 12, he started lifting anything from the coffee table, to a bag of books.
He soon moved on to training at a gym by 16 years old, and competing in local competitions.
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Mutombo now trains five days a week, working up to become a personal trainer and a professional bodybuilder.
"I focus on doing my best and not measuring myself against other people's best,” he said. "But I'm very proud of everything I have achieved so far. Getting into bodybuilding is exciting.”
