Arnold Balais

Arnold "Capt. A" Balais (born March 16, 1974) is an above-the-knee-amputee Filipino paralympic athlete, vocational coordinator, orthotic and prosthetic technician. He is known for being the team captain of the Philippine Accessible Disability Service (PADS) Dragon Boat Team.

Early life and career At 14, Balais got his right leg amputated, caused by chronic osteomyelitis. In 1990, Balais suffered a broken bone during a freak basketball accident. Doctors decided to amputate his right leg a year after being bedridden to prevent the infection from spreading. He was fitted with an artificial leg at the University of Santo Tomas. Later, Balais was offered a job at the UST Hospital as a vocational coordinator for PWDs (Persons with Disabilities).

Sports

Weightlifting Inspired by his brother, who worked in the Middle East as a gym trainer, Balais tried weightlifting at a local gym to restore his confidence. Eventually, Monty Mendigoria, a Philippine powerlifter, discovered him and provided him with a bodybuilding program modified for his needs. In 1996, Balais represented the Philippine team in a Paralympics competition in the United States, where he finished 12th among 24 athletes worldwide. In two days, he conquered the peak, which was above sea level, with the help of two assistants and two physical therapists. The climb also marks the 10th anniversary of his first climb on the mountain. the 14th IDBF World Dragonboat Racing Championship

Achievements Among Balais' achievements include bagging the gold for bench press powerlifting in the 10th Malaysian Paralympics in 2002, winning both silver and bronze medals for the 100-meter butterfly and freestyle relay swimming events at the 4th ASEAN Paralympic Games in Thailand in 2008,

TV commercials/appearances Balais was a television commercial model for Unilab Philippines from 2017 to 2019. He was also featured in several news outlets in the country, including GMA Integrated News' 24 Oras in 2019, ABS-CBN Entertainment in 2021, and CNN Philippines in 2022.

Personal life Balais is married with three children. He works at Cebu Doctors University in Mandaue City, Cebu as the Laboratory Instructor for Physical and Occupational therapy students, a senior Prosthetic technician, and a patient advocate. Balais is also an inspirational and motivational speaker nationwide.