Virginia high school senior Adonis Lattimore, born with no right leg or left leg, recently took home a state wrestling championship.
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!
Adonis Lattimore was born without any legs. He has 1 finger on one of his hands.
Tonight he wins the VA 6A 106lb State Championship. Incredibly inspiring. pic.twitter.com/laPfzA3gwF
— Christian Olanowski (@CJOlanasty33) February 20, 2022
According to reports, Lattimore is on the Landstown High School Eagles team and was a regional qualifier as a freshman. However, he didn’t remain enrolled for long and actually missed the regional tournament as a sophomore.
Additionally, amid the myriad complications associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, wrestling was forced to cancel last year. However, with the season renewed, Lattimore improved his performance to 32-7.
Adonis Lattimore, who was born without legs, just won the Virginia State Wrestling Champion.
This picture is everything. pic.twitter.com/4tltrhd7gC
— Goodable (@Goodable) February 21, 2022
The Incredible Mr. Lattimore
Lattimore was born without a right leg and with a partial left leg and just a single finger on his right hand.
“I’ve been dreaming of this since I knew what it was, and to finally have it happen is just … I don’t know how to explain it. Really if you work hard, you can do anything — even win a state championship without legs.” Lattimore said to The Virginian-Pilot.
Lattimore won first place in the Virginia High School League Class 6, 106-pound weight class at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. It was his first state championship win, and, according to reports, he barely missed out on a regional championship; instead, he finished runner-up.
#News #Wrestling #AdonisLattimore #boyswrestling Born without legs, Virginia HS wrestler Adonis Lattimore wins championship https://t.co/2A6Ytodeid pic.twitter.com/i9C5E799B4
— TruChampions (@tru_champions) February 22, 2022
Adonis’ Journey
“Amazing, he did all the work,” Eagles coach James Sanderlin said to The Virginian-Pilot. “I just get to be a part of the journey. It’s an amazing feeling to watch him do it and have the support of the crowd. It was awesome. He’s a hard-working young man. I’m just speechless.”
According to reports, Adonis’ father introduced him to the wrestling mat when he was young, and he continued to pursue it. He is part of a new generation of ballers who are achieving great feats despite their physical circumstances.
Head coach Penny Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers recently offered one-armed hoops dynamo Hansel Enmanuel a scholarship to the D-1 school. Aside from his athletic prowess, the 6-foot-6 athlete is an internet sensation with over 2.4 million followers on Tik Tok and 1.2 million followers on Instagram.
https://twitter.com/GurtzRecon/status/1497291437876068358?s=20&t=DeP4jhGQV7VFJaT6LoGVfw
The Entire Athletic Landscape
Enmanuel is not a novelty in the sport of basketball or just a flavor of the month’s viral moment; he can actually play basketball, and that is what Lattimore’s story has in common with so many other exceptional athletes with challenges.
Another former high school and collegiate wrestler that’s a congenital amputee, Nick Newell, is an example of a professional transition from wrestling to mixed martial arts.
A Star Is Born
Newell is 16-4 is a current Bellator MMA fighter in the lightweight division. Although Lattimore hasn’t declared what he plans to do long-term in athletics, Newell is an example that there are no limitations for athletes of any kind.
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