One of the Most Inspirational Young Athletes in the World Today… Zion Clark Has a Rare Condition That Meant He Was Born Without Legs… Now He’s a Succesful College Wrestler…
Who doesn’t love a story about someone overcoming adversity to achieve success? For a young wrestler from Columbus, Ohio, the world appears to be opening up. Zion Clark (formerly known as Zion Shaver) was born with caudal regression syndrome. This caused developmental problems with his lower body, basically meaning that he has no legs.
Not only has Clark had to deal with physical challenges for all of his life, but he’s also had to deal with problems at home. The young man was given up for adoption as a baby and was in and out of foster homes for much of his young lives. Now, his life has stabilized and he’s achieved remarkable success both academically and in the sport of wrestling.
Watch the footage below and see just how remarkably skilled he is. Possessing phenomenal upper-body strength, he’s able to deal with his physical disadvantage and use it against able-bodied opponents to great effect. It’s truly incredible.
Power
Zion might not have legs, but he more than makes up for it with his remarkable upper-body strength. In the footage above and below you can see just how powerful and explosive this young athlete is. He spends a lot of time maximising his body’s conditioning so that he can compete with able-bodied opponents. Just check out those crazy box jumps. Clark told ESPN:
“Wrestling has changed my life to the point where when I come to an obstacle in my life. I instantly figure out a way to get past it and move on.”
With a record of 33 wins and 15 losses this year, Clark is capable of beating anybody on his day and looks to push for a state championship next year. With the type of single-minded drive that few people can say they possess, you wouldn’t bet against him achieving his ambitions.
Zion Shaver is a 88-pound high school senior who doesn't see any limitations in his abilities – so learn from Zion not to ever give up! pic.twitter.com/n1UY9sd4mS
— Ken Rutkowski (@kenradio) October 2, 2018
Motivation
Credit must also be given to his coaches, because without them, Zion wouldn’t be able to maximise his potential. They saw his potential and have given him the support network required for him to be able to compete against other athletes – and beat them. Clark credits his coach, Gil Donahue, at Massillon Washington High School in Georgia, who got him into the sport. Donahue said:
“How do you coach a kid with no legs? We experimented with Zion throughout his career at Massillon. We found out what techniques made him successful and what techniques he could not use. We began to exploit his positives and rigorously drilled the techniques he could use with his condition. And that’s how Zion’s wrestling style was born.”
Donahue is as much of a legend as Zion is.
Success
Now the subject of a Netflix documentary, there’s no doubt that Zion is on the rise. He’s currently studying at Kent State University and is ranked 8th by the National Collegiate Wrestling Association at 125lbs. His condition might inhibit him at times, but it can also be his greatest strength. We mean this literally because the guys he’s facing typically don’t have anywhere near the phenomenal power and strength that he possesses.
If you ever needed an inspiration to get off your backside and do something constructive with your life, then this is it. Kudos to Zion. What a beast he is.
