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Outlook: The pasta dish that saved a basketballer’s life

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Sebastien Bellin

03/08/2023 GMT

The pasta dish that saved a basketballer’s life

BBC World Service - Outlook, The pasta dish that saved a basketballer’s life

A chance meal gave Sebastien Bellin the fuel to fight when a bomb exploded next to him

Were it not for three large helpings of pasta carbonara, former professional basketballer Sebastien Bellin might not have survived a bomb attack at Brussels airport.

On the evening of 21 March 2016 the Belgian former basketballer Sebastien Bellin was ready for bed. Tired after travelling and with an empty stomach, it was only a friend’s insistence they eat that he had anything at all. Three helpings of a rich pasta carbonara, the sort of pre-game meal he was used to having, would be the difference between life and death. The following morning, rushing to catch a flight Sebastien's legs were shattered and he lost half his blood when a bomb went off close to him. Fuelled by that carbohydrate-rich meal, he was able to fight his way to safety. But he was told he might never walk again. Lying in his hospital bed he vowed to recover and get back to playing sport. It took him five years, but incredibly, he attempted an Ironman endurance race in Hawaii and even stood face-to-face with the bombers.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: Edgar Maddicott

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

Photo: Sebastien Bellin crosses the finish line at the Kona Ironman, October 2022. Credit: Getty

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