Plus tri

Zlatko Kesler je verovatno jedan od najznačajnijih Paralimpijskih sportista koji živi na ovim prostorima.Nekada prvi na Svetskoj rang listi stonotenisera, danas selektor našeg paralimpijskog stonoteniskog tima. Još 2005. kada sam pisao knjigu Paralimpijski sport napisao sam da ako za nekoga važi da integritet čini prave šampione onda to se to svakako odnosi na Zlatka i ništa se nije promenilo. Ne samo da se ništa nije promenilo nego je svojoj zlatnoj, dvema srebrnim i bronzanim medaljama dodao još 6 medalja na poslednje tri olimpijade predvodeći naš tim.

Tako je neobjašnjiva povreda kičme u Zlatkovoj 23. godini trajno promenila sudbinu jednog čoveka, a Srbiji donela jednog od najvećih sportista koje je ikada imala. Iako je prešao nimalo lak putu Zlatko danas predstavlja retko optimističnog čoveka, koji je spreman da nađe valjano za objašnjenje za većini naših nedaća, nekad toliko ubedljivo da je pravi majstor motivacije.

Zlatko veruje da je jako važno da neko igrače u kolicima nauči kako se pravilno igra stoni tenis. Zbog toga veći deo njegove aktivnosti je vezan za rad sa mladima u novosadskom klubu Spin, ali i pomoć drugim klubovima u ovoj zemlji. Upravo zato je Zlatko najveći, jer nikad nije mislio samo na sebe, već na druge i na svoju zemlju, kako sam kaže “Nema lepšeg trenutka nego kada na pobedničkom postolju slušate svoju himnu”.

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Zlatko Kesler is probably one of the most important Paralympic athletes living in this region. Once the first on the World ranking list of table tennis players, nowadays the selector of our paralympic table tennis team. In 2005, when I wrote the Paralympic Sports book, I said that if we could say that integrity makes the true champion, this certainly applies to Zlatko and nothing has changed. Not only did nothing change, but he added six more medals to his five Olympic medals by leading our team on last three Olympic games.

Thus, inexplicable spinal injuries in Zlatko’s 23 years permanently changed the fate of one man, and brought to Serbia one of the biggest athletes ever. Although he has passed not an easy way, Zlatko is today a rarely optimistic man, who is ready to find a proper explanation for most of our misery, sometimes so convincing that he is acting as the true master of motivation.

Zlatko believes it is very important that somebody should teach wheelchair players how to play table tennis correctly. Therefore, most of his activities are related to working with young people in Novi Sad club Spin, but also to helping other clubs in this country. That is why Zlatko is the biggest, because he never meant for himself, but for others and for his country, as he says, “There is no better moment than you listen national anthem on the winning platform.”