Zion Clark (USA) is many things.
An actor, author and athlete to name a few - and now he's a record breaker! 🏅
Zion achieved the record for the fastest 20m walking on hands on 15 February 2021 at his former high school gym in Massillon, Ohio, USA, with a super speedy time of 4.78 seconds.
"Before I knew it, I had crossed the finish line! A rush of euphoria surged through my body as the official timer called out 4.78 seconds!" - Zion Clark
Everyone was so excited when he crossed the finish line. 🥳
"Everybody was excited, I was excited, my girlfriend was excited… it was just a moment man!"
Zion always pushes himself to obtain his goals, motivated by a simple phrase; "no excuses". 💪
"I will always work with what I've got because I don't really have any other cards that are dealt to me... I've got to play them the right way so I can be successful and win the card game."
Zion born with Caudal Regression Syndrome, a rare condition that causes abnormal development of the lower (caudal) end of the spine.
"It made my life harder from the get go because I had to go through two different surgeries for my back, just so I could sit up straight."
However, Zion’s obstacles didn’t end there. When he started school, he was badly bullied and teased by some of the other children.
Despite his tough experiences at school, Zion made friends and got good grades in many subjects. 💯✔️
He was introduced to wrestling in elementary school and, despite not winning a match for several years, became an incredible wrestler in high school. 💪🏾
"Man, by the time my senior year of high school came around I became one of the best guys in the state!," Zion shared.
Zion was in foster care growing up, but was adopted by a loving mother, Kimberli Hawkins, when we he was 16 years old. 😍
"The message I would give to kids with disabilities or anyone with a disability would be – It’s going to be hard, but if you’ve got the heart and the determination, you can go get what’s yours. If you’re disabled or you’re not disabled, the message stays the same."
Zion appears in Guinness World Records 2022, where people everywhere can be inspired by his story. 📖
Zion says he feels like a "member of an elite group" to have achieved the record - welcome to the club Zion! 😎
In the future, he has his sights set on the Olympics and winning more medals than Michael Phelps, who has the most Olympic medals of all time. 🇺🇸🏅
He wants to become the first American athlete to compete in both the Olympic (wrestling) and Paralympic (wheelchair racing) games in 2024 - and with his determination, we're sure he will be!
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