24-year-old Zion Clark is a star athlete, motivational speaker, and a Guinness World Record holder, but the road to get there was not easy.
Clark was born with a condition called Caudal Regression Syndrome, which caused him to have no legs. His birth mother was unable to care for him, which forced Clark to go into the foster system.
For the first 16 years of his life, Clark moved many times and spent time with numerous different families, none that were suitable for him. Unfortunately, he was mentally abused, physically bullied, underfed, and treated poorly.
But despite everything he had been through, Clark remained positive and kept the faith. He may have been physically different from other people, but his positive mindset eventually helped him make friends and excel academically.
Clark began wrestling in elementary school, and by the time he was in high school, his technique drastically improved. Despite having no legs, Clark still beat opponent after opponent and was one match away from qualifying for the state championship. He also won his second high school track wheel chair racing title at the state championships.
Clark had also finally been adopted by a woman who had prayed for a son for years.
Clark graduated high school and attended Kent State, where he made it his mission to become the first American Athlete to compete in other the Olympic and Para-olympic Games in Tokyo.
In addition to training hard and excelling at sports, Clark is also a motivational speaker. He is also fundraising for a project to help more children who grew up in tough situations like him.
“We’re all human, we’re all going to fail, we’re all going to struggle, but we all have the strength to get up and be amazing too,” Clark said.
His motto is to “Be greater than the obstacles you face.”
Hear more of his story in the video below, and click here for his website.