Fernando Demaria (motivational speaker)
Fernando Demaria | |
|---|---|
| Born | Fernando Demaria Lüders 16 October 1992 |
| Other names | Nano Demaria |
| Alma mater | Andrés Bello National University |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Relatives | Rolf Lüders (grandfather) |
| Website | nanodemaria |
Fernando Demaria Lüders (born October 16, 1992, in Santiago, Chile), also known as Nano Demaria, is a Chilean motivational speaker and former motocross and enduro athlete. He was a gold and silver medalist at the International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) World Championships in Mexico in 2010,[1] and Finland in 2011; and a former runner-up in the Chilean national enduro championships.
After being paralysed from a serious injury he incurred while competing in 2012, Demaria has subsequently become a commercial engineer, and launched a career as a speaker, giving motivational talks about resilience.
Biography
Demaria is the son of former Chilean rugby national Pablo Demaria Lucchini and former model Pilar Lüders Norris.[2][3] His maternal grandfather is the economist and academic Rolf Lüders. Demaria studied at Craighouse School, graduating in 2011.[4]
After suffering a serious accident while competing in the first round of the 2012 FIM Enduro World Championship in Talca, he was transferred by helicopter to the Clínica Alemana. The accident left him with C5 tetraplegia and no mobility.[2] That year he began his rehabilitation at the Chilean Safety Association Worker's Hospital in Santiago and the Luis Krebs Institute in Viña del Mar.[4][5]
In 2013, he commenced studying commercial engineering at Andrés Bello National University, where his physical condition required him to take oral tests. Graduating in 2017, Demaria obtained a MBA in 2018.[2][6]
Demaria later began giving motivational talks on resilience, and was invited to speak at TEDxVitacura Talks in 2024. Through his social networks, he shares educational and training information on disability care. He drives his own car, and practices handcycling, skiing, diving, and parachuting.[4][7] A video published in 2018 showed Demaria also participating in snow and off-road cross-country rally competitions,[8] including the Desert Challenge, competing against able-bodied athletes.[4]
Awards
- UNAB Pride 2014. Andrés Bello National University[2]
- 50 Heroes of Sports Award. La Tercera newspaper[9]
References
- ^ "ISDE 2010 MÉXICO Inscritos". www.2y4t.com (in Spanish). October 28, 2010. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Orgullo UNAB | Fernando «Nano» Demaria y su camino para volver a competir tras el accidente que lo dejó tetrapléjico" [UNAB Pride Fernando "Nano" Demaria and his path to compete again after the accident that left him quadriplegic]. Repositorio Noticias: UNAB (in Spanish). Retrieved November 5, 2024.
- ^ EN LA RECÁMARA - Capítulo 121: Nano Demaria, Medallista Mundial de Enduro [EN LA RECÁMARA - Chapter 121: Nano Demaria, World Enduro Medalist] (in Spanish). July 15, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b c d "Conferencista Fernando Demaria" [Speaker Fernando Demaria]. www.charlasmotivacionales.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved November 5, 2024.
- ^ Conciencia Inclusiva: Las historias de Iván Fuentes y Fernando Demaría [Inclusive Consciousness: The stories of Iván Fuentes and Fernando Demaría] (streaming video). CNN Chile (in Spanish). April 1, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Titulados de Ingeniería Comercial UNAB agradecieron apoyo entregado por la universidad" [UNAB Commercial Engineering graduates thanked the support provided by the university]. Repositorio Noticias: UNAB (in Spanish). 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
- ^ "PRENSA ESCRITA «Fernando Demaria, Una Vida Sobre Ruedas»" [PRENSA ESCRITA «Fernando Demaria, A Life on Wheels»]. www.rollermobility.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved November 5, 2024.
- ^ Demaría Marketing Deportivo (July 7, 2018). Orgullo UNAB | Fernando Demaria (streaming video). Prensa UNAB (in Spanish). Retrieved January 9, 2026 – via YouTube.
El medallista mundial de Enduro y egresado de la Escuela de Ingeniería Comercial UNAB regresó a las pistas a fines de abril arriba de su buggy y volvió a subirse al podio, luego del grave accidente que tuvo en 2012. Pese a lo lapidario que eran los informes médicos, hoy sigue disfrutando del deporte, tanto en su vida diaria como en su trabajo en el área de marketing deportivo.
- ^ "50 Admirables" [50 Admirable]. La Tercera (in Spanish). December 6, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
External links
- "Nano Demaria | Los límites son mentales" [Nano Demaria | Limits are mental]. nanodemaria.com (in Spanish). Retrieved January 9, 2026.
- Demaria, Fernando (August 27, 2024). Los imposibles de otros, no son los tuyos [The impossibles of others are not yours] (streaming video). TEDxVitacura Talks (in Spanish). Retrieved November 5, 2024 – via YouTube.
- Incluencers, [sic] T2 Chapter 6: Fernando "Nano" Demaria, Motivational Speaker (streaming video dubbed from Spanish into English). UNAB-TV. 2025. Retrieved January 9, 2026 – via YouTube.