Xavier Dolino Memorial page

This page is dedicated to Xavier Dolino, who passed away with Leukaemia at the age of 37. He was a Senior Fitness4x4 Trainer and an inspirational Health Pioneer.  This page has been set up to honour Xavier in a unique way.

In the last three years, Xavier was hit with Leukemia three times, and three times told he would probably not survive. With massive personal resolve and commitment to fighting the illness with fitness & good nutrition, rather than with drugs, he defied the odds and recovered to full health twice. Not merely surviving the illness, but returning to world-class competition and to a truly inspiring and contagious level of fitness and vitality. The third time it struck his body was not able to withstand it.

However, in his last days in the hospital, he continued to motivate and teach those around him. That was Xavier. He kept lifting his dumbbells and training in the best way he knew, no matter what life threw at him. And to his dying day, he continued to create energy, in defiance of what the disease was trying to do to him. It is this spirit and this commitment to physical vitality that we want to honour on this page.

A short video clip has been put together by Fitness4x4. It features photos & video of Xavier from our recent archive and has been put together over the song ‘Monagri’, which was a favourite song of Xavier’s, written by his friend and fitness colleague Rajko Radovic.

If you knew Xavier the video will remind you of his passion for life, for fitness, for teaching, for his friends and for having a positive impact on the health of everyone he encountered. If you didn’t know Xavier, hopefully, you will still get a sense of the very same thing.

His mentor and friend Dragan Radovic has invited everyone who knew Xavier (or would simply like to honour him) to perform 100 continuous lifts of any dumbbell. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing – take 5 minutes from your schedule to do these 100 lifts. To take a minute’s silence to remember the man…then take 5 minutes of physical action to honour what the man stood for. It is absolutely what he would have wanted.

If you would like to be part of this commemoration or share your story of Xavier, please send us your own personal comment and we will add it to this page.

87 responses to “Xavier Dolino Memorial page”

  1. Bélien Patrice Francois louis avatar
    Bélien Patrice Francois louis

    bonsoir, je viens d apprendre avec beaucoup de retard le décès de Xavier que je savais malade, sa mère m’avait informé, mais la dernière que j’ai vu sa mère, elle ne m’a dit que Xavier était décédé. Nous nous connaissions depuis l’âge de 7 ans, nous étions voisins et amis et nous sommes restés en contact jusqu’à son départ de la france. il courrait tous les jours avec son chien quand on était petit, et faisait beaucoup de VTT et de la musculation a l’adolescence. je suis très attristé et ému d’apprendre cette nouvelle, car je recherchais Xavier depuis que sa mère a déménagé de france.

  2. Ferrari Christian avatar
    Ferrari Christian

    Caro amico mio, non passa giorno che tu non sia nelle mie memorie, riposa in pace !

  3. gavalda xavier avatar
    gavalda xavier

    j’ai rencontré xavier au college et on est devenu des amis tres proche j’ai été touché par sa gentillesse sa loyauté et sa force .je me souviens qu’il s’entrainait deja sur un petit banc de musculation et ça ne me surprend pas qu’il en ai fait son métier bien qu’a l’époque il revait d’être pilote de chasse. j’ai appris son deces il y a quelques jours et cela m’a profondement attristé bien que la vie nous avait séparé depuis longtemps..
    repose en paix mon ami !!!

  4. Jude Irvine avatar
    Jude Irvine

    Xavier, dear friend, you are still inspiring so many people. Today, one year on, your friends, colleagues and the HOP Community around the world, lifted their dumbells, did their squats, did great HOP classes or trained in whatever way they could, in your memory.

    It has been overwhelming and inspiring to see the response from the many lives, Xavier has influenced and will continue to influence. I personally want to thank each and every one of you for your enthusiasm and your dedication to a fit and healthy life, today and hopefully every day to come.

    For Xavier, ‘fitness’ was his way of life, even through his illness. I would encourage everyone to make an active and healthy lifestyle their priority, make it your ‘habit’ until it becomes second nature!

    In fond memory Xavier

    Judex

  5. Rajko Radovic avatar

    This year was the first Dragan Challenge finals that Xavier did not compete in and almost a year since he passed away. It was unusual not to see him and his team bringing all their passion to the event as they did so many times in previous years, but I believe he would have been excited to be there.

    My father wore a special Dragan Challenge vest with small image of Xavier on the front, and performed 30 reps at the start of the challenge in honour of Xavier. I know it was important to Dragan to keep a link between the Xavier and the challenge and in that way that he would be there in spirit as they say.

    One day soon we will have a winners trophy cut in the style of how Xavier used to lift those dumbbells – he had a unique and recognisable style, and that’s what we’ll capture one day and present to all future winners….

    God bless you Xavier.

    R

  6. Rashid avatar
    Rashid

    While reefing through the Fitness 4×4 page, I came across the sad news about Xavier. I had the privilege to train with, and to be trained by, him in Lahore = Pakistan from 2005 till 2006. He brought a niche in fitness to the people here, which they had never experienced before. It was challenging and pushed us to the limit… those who wanted to be pushed anyway. I appreciate all the knowledge you imparted and I am using bits of your routine in a kickboxing session that I conduct regularly since I have moved back to Lahore. Rest in peace my friend. What you have left behind is unparalleled and will continue for years to come inshalla.

  7. Severine avatar
    Severine

    We were friends, in another life, when we were teenagers.
    I’ll miss you, more than ever

  8. Philip Byerley avatar
    Philip Byerley

    I first Saw Xavier competing onstage at Bodypower in 2009 in the Dragan Challenge and was truly impressed by both his endurance and muscularity, not always an easy combination to achieve you normally have one or the other. After being inspired by Xavier, Dragan and Rajko i began training for the Dragan Challenge myself and felt honoured to compete against Xavier in 2010 and 2011 and was really looking forward to seeing him on stage again in 2012. One thing that will always stick with me is how genuine he was, how he was so keen to give valuable advice and support to his students and also his other comptetitors including myself. He even gave me the last of his water when I came off stage in 2010 and was feeling very tired and dehydrated. What a great man, Xavier you will be missed!!

  9. Patrick P. avatar
    Patrick P.

    You’re badly missed Xavier and looking to the challenges of 2012 will be difficult without having you there to keep us motivated and strong.

  10. macfit avatar
    macfit

    A true fitness great, it was a pleasure to know you Xavier and to lift with you was an honour.