@hunterwoodhall [1] It takes patience, keep working hard it will come! #WaitForTheGreats [2] #tokyo2020 [3]
♬ hostage - Billie Eilish [4]
Hunter Woodhall knows a thing or two about perseverance. The two-time Paralympic medalist was born with fibular hemimelia [5], meaning that the fibulas in his lower legs never formed. Woodhall underwent a below-the-knee amputation on both legs at 11 months old, and from there, his story — which he recently shared with his 2.7 million TikTok followers — is one for the record books.
"I could either take what I had and give life the best shot possible, or I could listen to the doctors and other people that told me I'd never be able to walk and my life was never going to be anything special," Woodhall explains in the video, which features photos of his childhood and all through his athletic career. As he explains, choosing to live his life the way he wanted was not always easy: he was bullied in school and struggled in sports, "always in the back of the pack." But he worked hard at track, eventually becoming the first double-amputee track and field athlete to earn a Division I athletic scholarship, as well as a silver- and bronze-medalist at the 2016 Paralympic Games.
"I made this video just to tell you guys, whoever you are, whatever position you're in, just follow your dreams," Woodhall explained. "There's gonna be times when you fall down. Just get back up and keep moving forward." Watch the powerful video above.