One of the first things you notice when talking to Zion Clark is how fast he talks and how many ideas he’s juggling at once.
The 24-year-old wrestling and track athlete – who was born without legs – is in a rush to accomplish as much as he can, as fast as he can.
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The East Village resident recently set the Guinness World Record for fastest hand walk over 20 meters, and he hopes to become the first person to compete in the Olympics and Paralympics in 2024.
He is also a Netflix documentary star, actor, motivational speaker, published author, drummer, rap video producer and entrepreneur, as well as a mixed martial arts fighter in training.
Clark said there was no mystery why he was struggling so hard. He spent the first 17 years of his life in foster care, enduring what he described as years of physical and mental abuse and starvation. Now he is making up for lost time.
“I’m 24, but I’ve only seen true peace in the past seven years,” he said. “I spent more than half my life suffering and fighting to survive. I didn’t know if I was going to be homeless, put in a group home, or get beaten up and die. So for me now, I’ve put a lot of work and time into myself and I’ve seen some success. Sometimes I have to step back and disappear for a few weeks. But 95% of the time, I start each day at 5 a.m. and get home at 11 p.m. »
Clark’s latest project is “No Days Off,” a biographical documentary about him that was produced by sports and entertainment brand Whistle for its YouTube channel. Released on January 4, the nearly 10-minute film has already generated more than 100,000 views.
Craig Levinson, who is Clark’s mentor, manager and trainer, said there are “endless opportunities” for Clark in music, entertainment, motivation, sports and philanthropy. . But he tried to encourage Clark to narrow his list of goals so he wouldn’t over-commit. But Levinson said he understands the inner fire that drives his client.
“There are no limits in the spirit of Sion. He’s really fearless,” said San Diego resident Levinson. “He overcame the worst of his life and now he is thriving. He went from survival mentality to thriving and it changed the way he sees himself.
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Clark was born with Caudal Regression Syndrome, a rare condition affecting one in 100,000 people that impairs development of the lower half of the body. His birth mother put him in the foster care system as a baby and he went through seven or eight foster homes as a youngster. Clark said he was bullied, malnourished and abused and grew into a difficult child. The only place he felt safe and cared for was at school, where he joined many after-school clubs and sports to avoid going home. At 7, he discovered wrestling.
“I love wrestling because I can be myself,” he said. “You can find yourself at the bottom of the barrel fighting and it’s up to you whether you stand up and fight back or not.”
Wrestling was Clark’s passion, but he struggled in the sport. He lost virtually every game he played from elementary school through his first year, but he never gave up. Then he met Gil Donahue, the wrestling coach at Massillon High in Massillon, Ohio. Donahue pushed Clark to work harder. Clark already had tremendous upper body strength because he prefers walking on his hands rather than using prosthetic legs or a wheelchair, but Donahue taught Clark how to use explosive power and new techniques to gain strength. matches.
During his senior year, Clark won 33 out of 50 wrestling matches, won his high school championship, nearly qualified for the Ohio State Championship, and went on to wrestle at Kent State University. . Clark also won two state championships in wheelchair racing.
Across Clark’s upper back, in large block letters, are the tattooed words NO EXCUSES. It’s the phrase Donahue forced on Clark in high school and it’s become his motto today.
“I got tattooed to pay tribute to my coach who pushed me to the next level,” he said. “It’s just a way for me to remind myself that I have what it takes to be great and to show others that they have what it takes too, but they have to step up and do something great. We need more active people in this world who contribute to society, stand up for others and for themselves, and that starts with not making excuses.
Clark credits his early successes to Donahue and Kimberly Hawkins, the adoptive mother who adopted Clark when he was 17 and gave him a stable and loving family home.
Clark’s inspiring story caught Hollywood’s attention a few years ago and he was the subject of the 2018 short documentary ‘Zion’, which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. and is now available on Netflix. Her story has also been turned into an inspiring book of photo essays, “Zion: Unmatched,” which Clark co-wrote with biographer James S. Hirsch last year. Clark said they are now finishing their second book which is slated for release in 2023 and a third book is due in 2025.
In 2019, Ellen DeGeneres invited Clark and her mother, Kimberly, to record an episode of “Ellen,” and Clark fell in love with California and the many sports, film, and television opportunities it offers. So last year he moved to Los Angeles and spent a few months living on a friend’s couch.
Nine months ago he moved permanently to San Diego, where he is working with Levinson to achieve some of his goals. These include a plan to start his own business and acting appearances in two feature films over the next two years. He also hopes to train for the 2024 Olympics as a member of the wrestling team and the 2024 Paralympics as a wheelchair racer.
Clark’s #1 goal right now is to train to be an MMA fighter with trainers Charles Martinez at The Arena gym in San Diego and with Antonio McKee of Team Body Shop in Los Angeles. It requires at least five hours of training, five days a week, and a strict all-organic diet.
“If you want to be at the top of the pyramid, you want to train with people who know what they’re doing,” Clark said. “It’s a violent sport but that’s the name of the game and I love it. I thrive in environments like this because I crave that competition. All I can say is that you should expect to see me more.