Somalia, 23 November 2025 — Inside a modest gym in the heart of Mogadishu, Ali Abdullahi commands attention not because of what he lost, but because of what he has built.
With only one leg, Ali trains bodies stronger than his own. He pushes clients through demanding workouts, corrects their form, and motivates them with a quiet authority that comes from lived experience. For many, he is more than a fitness coach — he is proof that physical limitation does not define human potential.
Ali’s journey began in 2009 when he was still a student. Caught in a deadly explosion in Mogadishu, he lost his leg — and with it, the life he had once known. The blast forced him into a new reality of dependency, pain, and adaptation, including the use of a prosthetic leg that costs over $20,000 and requires up to $11,000 annually in maintenance.
“Imagine walking with a leg where the bolts can loosen on the tarmac at any moment. Imagine having to spend 10 or 11 thousand dollars a year just to service my leg.,” Ali recalled. “I’m forced to work for myself – and to work for my leg.”
Despite the hardship, Ali refused to surrender to despair. In 2019, he made a decision that would redefine his future: he joined a gym.
What began as a personal journey toward healing soon evolved into a broader mission. He rebuilt not only his body, but also his confidence — and discovered a calling to help others do the same.
Today, the community knows him simply as Coach Ali.
“He lost one of his legs, but now he is a fitness coach for people who have both,” said Sakariye Mohamed Ali, one of his trainees. “For me, disability is not in the body — it’s in the heart.”
Through discipline and persistence, Ali has transformed the lives of countless young people who once believed they could never achieve physical fitness.
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Some arrived overweight, discouraged, or struggling with low self-esteem. Under his guidance, they found both physical strength and renewed belief in themselves.
“I used to be told I was overweight all the time,” said Shaafi’i Omar Hussein, another client. “Now my body has changed, my clothes fit, and I feel confident. Coach Ali deserves the credit.”
Sixteen years after the explosion that altered his life, Ali is no longer recognised for his disability, but for his impact. He now runs his own fitness and community health company and trains more than 300 people — including individuals with special needs.
Ali has made a deliberate effort to support those others often overlooked, including people with autism, diabetes, and older clients who face higher health risks.
“I feel a special responsibility,” he said. “This young man has autism. I met him here in the gym. I want people like him to feel supported, not burdened.”
For Ali, training is more than exercise. It is a tool for healing, dignity, and social inclusion. His gym has become a space where physical weakness is met with encouragement, and where the phrase echoed by his trainees has become a mantra:
“Disability is not in the body.”
Once a victim of violence, Ali Abdullahi today stands as a symbol of resilience — a man who turned loss into leadership and pain into purpose, proving that true strength is measured not by limbs, but by spirit.
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