Few athletes hold a record comparable to that of Oscar Chalupsky. He
made history at the age of fifteen as the first person to win both the
Junior and Senior Ironman titles on the same day at the South African
National Lifesaving Championships, he was the country's spokesman at the
1992 Barcelona Olympics, and he is a multiple-times global surfski
champion, having won the internationally famous Molokai to Oahu World
Surfski Marathon championships in Hawaii a record twelve times - his
most recent victory being at the age of forty-nine.
Then, in 2019, he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable bone
marrow cancer and told he had six months to live. But as with everything
else Oscar does, he is determined to emerge victorious. He continues to
paddle kayaks, play golf, and with a combination of medical treatment,
exercise, iron determination and unconquerable optimism, he has defied
every doctor's prediction to date. How does he do it?
In this book, Oscar relives some of his most exhilarating and
nail-biting races, and shares the lessons he has learnt from winning on
the international surf lifesaving, kayak and surfski circuits as well as
running several successful businesses. The final chapters recount his
courageous battle against cancer, the vital support of his family and
friends, and his refusal to let the deadly disease dictate his life. No
Retreat, No Surrender is an uplifting account of grit, perseverance,
talent and attitude, vividly capturing the determined mindset of an
inspirational sporting legend.
