Wrestling Wins

Virginia high schooler Adonis Lattimore has loved wrestling for as long as he can remember. 

He's trained since second grade, dreaming of winning his senior year championship for more than a decade. 

Last month, he did just that. 

😴🤼‍♂️ Step 1: Dream it. Step 2: Achieve it... While winning the championship is impressive in-and-of-itself, Adonis's limb differences make his story somewhat of a marvel.  

• Born with no right leg, a left leg that ends at the middle of his thigh, and only one finger on his right hand, the teen insists on wrestling non-disabled opponents – and he has an impressive winning ratio.

Adonis outscored his opponent 4–3 in this year's semifinals, and then 5–1 in the finals to take the crown.

But it was no easy road to the top. While Adonis qualified for finals his freshman year, he failed to meet the bar his sophomore year – and then the school canceled his junior year matches due to the pandemic. As his senior year approached, Adonis kept his eyes on the prize. 

• He competed in the Virginia High School League Class 6, 106-pound weight class, and walked out with the championship title. 
• "Really, if you work hard, you can do anything," he shared after his victory. "Even win a state championship without legs." 

🪑🏟 A front-row seat... The seventeen-year-old's coach, James Sanderlin, has cheered him on through his career. He was blown away as he watched Adonis win time-and-time-again.

• “He did all the work. I just get to be a part of the journey." James shared. "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,”

💬 What he's saying: “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.”