Virginia teen athlete born without legs wins state championship: "I’ve been dreaming of this"

Adonis Lattimore, a senior at Landstown High School won first place in the Virginia High School Games on Saturday. He bagged the prize in League Class 6, 106-pound weight class despite being born with a disability, per The Virginian-Pilot. He was born without a right leg and with only a portion of his left leg. In addition, he was born with one completely functional arm and just one finger on his right hand. Lattimore said, "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." He commented on the role of determination while adding, "Really if you work hard, you can do anything—even win a state championship without legs.”

In a video of the competition, coach James Sanderlin can be seen getting out of his seat and shouting for Lattimore as he took home the gold. Sanderlin expressed his delight by saying, "Amazing. He did all the work. I just get to be a part of the journey." He added, "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." He further said that this was "a goal four years ago," and now it has finally come to "fruition." "It was a long journey worth everything that we did," he said.

In the video, Lattimore's father, Jerrold, is seen lifting him up and holding him in exuberant joy, per PEOPLE. Lattimore has been wrestling since the second grade and intends to continue when he enters college. He spoke to WTKR earlier this month, "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 went on to add, "My goal is to win a state [championship] this year," and he has successfully achieved it. He had advanced to the regional tournament as a freshman but did not qualify as a sophomore. Although he intended to compete in his junior year, the COVID-19 pandemic ended his season.

Lattimore told The Virginian Pilot, "It was pretty frustrating. But I just didn't let it get to me. I tried to bounce back knowing I had one more year." Throughout his journey, the athlete has been encircled by the community's support. Thomas Keyes, Lattimore's classmate told WTKR, "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." He never complains and is constantly motivating, whether it's to those in the Eagles' wrestling room or to others who are doubting their own ability to overcome hardship."