Llywelyn Williams, four-time world champion in adaptive surfing, says that losing a leg as a teenager gave his life new meaning. The Welsh surfer was left amputated in 2011 after being hit by a car, but water sports became the key to his recovery.
While recovering in hospital, Williams expressed to a friend his desire to return to the water and surf in Australia. His parents signed consent for the amputation of his right leg, a decision they described as the most difficult of their lives but necessary to save him. Once he returned to the ocean, Williams says he felt as though he had "been reborn".
In March, he won the Bright Sky Pro 2026 Australian Adaptive Surfing Championship as knee-paddling surf champion in Byron Bay, New South Wales. He placed third in the North Shore Prosthetics Hawaii Surfing Championship in May. Williams self-funds his participation in competitions and has expressed gratitude for his community's support.
When not competing, Williams works as an excavator driver at the family construction company. He has noted that he has learned to perform most tasks with one leg and travels to Australia each year to compete in competitions.
Williams has been promoting the inclusion of adaptive surfing in future Paralympic Games. "Disability has enriched my life. Everything is possible, even if you have some kind of disability," he said.
