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Posted: 2017-04-21 11:54:02

Twenty of Australia's best organ transplant athletes gathered at the AIS on Friday for a three-day training camp ahead of the World Transplant Games in Spain later this year.

Over 60 countries contest the Games every two years in a bid to promotes the benefits of organ and tissue donation around the world.

Canberra product Brad Stanley is preparing his first world games with the 17-year-old gunning for victory in the 100m sprint and will also compete in 200m, long jump, tennis and tenpin bowling.

Stanley received a life-saving live transplant when he was two and has competed in four Australian Transplant Games, and as guest in the Japanese edition.

"The transplant games is really the moment we get to show other people what we can really do," Stanley said.

"Having an organ transplant definitely has a huge affect on what you're capable of physically. I may seem able-bodied but I have mates at school who don't really run that much and are still faster than me.

"It seems like it doesn't really do much, but it does. It's like testing a fish trying to climb a wall against a monkey, it's unfair, but I'm catching up with them."

Stanley said he wants to learn how to run out of starting blocks while using the world class facilities at the AIS.

"It's surprising that I'm even allowed in here, when I first got here here I was like holy wow," Stanley said.

"The main thing I want to learn this weekend is to get out of the blocks instead of running standing up, and I need to get used to running in spikes."

Brad's father Gerry said transplant games' provide a level playing field for young athletes who have had organ transplants.

"It gives Brad a benchmark of where he sits against other kids who have been through similar types of things and that's been great for him because he actually gets to realise while he might have been last in his race at school, when he runs with people the same age who have been through transplants, he's generally much better than average," Gerry said.

"Because he was so young it impacted him a lot more but he's been catching up the whole way through and now he's now much close to his friends in terms of fitness.

"Certainly there were development issues in the early years of his life and he's not allowed to play contact sport, but he's played soccer for a big chunk of his life and now he does cross fit.

"He's been doing a whole bunch of training for this so hopefully he can give the 100m a good shake, he'll be devastated if one of his friends overseas beats him."

The World Transplant Games Federation will stage the 2017 edition from June 25 to July 2 in the hope the event will inspire people around the globe to register as organ and tissue donors.

Australian's can register by joining the national register at at donatelife.gov.au.

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