A high school athlete in Virginia is inspiring people everywhere and encouraging them to dream bigger with his latest victory. Adonis Lattimore, who is a senior at Landstown High School, came in first in the Virginia High School League Class 6, 106-pound weight class on Saturday.
“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,” expressed 17-year-old Adonis, who was born without a right leg and a partial left leg. “Really, if you work hard, you can do anything — even win a state championship without leg,” he added according to The Virginian Pilot.
If anyone was more proud of the teenager than his family, it had to be a coach James Sanderlin who can be seeing jumping out of his seat and cheering for the young athlete as he bagged the gold medal. “Amazing. He did all the work. I just get to be a part of the journey,” shared Sanderlin. “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.”
Landstown’s Adonis Lattimore…
IS THE CLASS 6 106 STATE CHAMPION!!!!
INCREDIBLE! pic.twitter.com/Azg5djAGjE
— Ray Nimmo (@Ray_Nimmo) February 19, 2022
“It was a goal four years ago, and this year it finally came to fruition. It was a long journey worth everything that we did,” he noted. This particular clip also featured Adonis’ father, Jerrold, who immediately picked him up and hugged him during the emotional celebration. Earlier this month, Jerrold told the Pilot that when his son was born with one fully functioning arm and one finger on his right hand, he knew his youngest of four children was meant for great things in life.
“What we understood is that there is a greater calling on Adonis’ life that’s beyond what we could imagine,” he said. “We also knew this wasn’t just our story. But this was our story to share.” According to CBS station WTKR, the 17-year-old has been wrestling since he was in the second grade and plans to continue the sport even in college.
“At one point I was on a losing streak for about a year. Sometime in middle school I hit my stride and brought it into high school,” he shared added, “My goal is to win a state [championship] this year.” Previously Adonis went as far as competing in the region tournament when he was a freshman. However, he didn’t qualify as a sophomore and although had plans of going all the way during his junior year, the pandemic stopped him from doing so.
“It was pretty frustrating,” Adonis shared. “But I just didn’t let it get to me. I tried to bounce back knowing I had one more year.” Not only is the young boy determined, but he is also a kind-hearted person who spreads love everywhere he goes. “Any school you go to, everybody knows Adonis, everybody loves him. I think part of that is he’s got a great personality. He’s always smiling,” said Landstown senior Thomas Keyes.
Cover image source: YouTube Screenshot | WTKR News 3
