Zion Clark

Last updated
Zion Clark
Personal information
Birth nameZion Zachariah Daniels
NationalityAmerican
Born (1997-09-29) 29 September 1997 (age 26)
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Alma mater Kent State University
Height3 ft (91 cm) 2 [1]
Weight110 lb (50 kg)

Zion Zachariah Clark (born 29 September 1997) is an American wrestler, professional mixed martial artist, and wheelchair racer. [2] [3] [4] Clark was born without legs due to a rare disorder called Caudal regression syndrome. [5] [6] He attended Kent State University at Tuscarawas, Ohio, where he was a member of the wrestling team. [7] [8] Clark was named the "fastest man on two hands” by the Guinness Book of World Records. [1]

Contents

Personal life

Clark grew up in Ohio's foster care system and was adopted. [9] Clark is featured in the 2018 documentary Zion , [10] [11] which was an official selection for the Sundance Film Festival and was later featured on Netflix. [12] [13] The documentary won two Emmys at the 40th annual Sports Emmy Awards. [14] On May 23rd, 2023, he also featured on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel . [15] In 2023, he also made an appearance on America's Got Talent and showed off his athletic abilities to the judges. He advanced to next stage, receiving four yes and he was eliminated in the top 5 of the semifinals. [16] [17]

Career

Wrestling

During his freshman and sophomore years at Massillon Washington High School, Clark had no wins in wrestling. However, he increased his training during his junior season, and in his senior season compiled a 33–15 record. He then attended Kent State University, where he competed in wrestling and wheelchair racing. [18]

Mixed martial arts career

Clark made his professional debut, for Gladiator Challenge: Seasons Beatings, on December 17, 2022, against Eugene Murray. He won the fight via a unanimous decision. [19] [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason David Frank</span> American actor (1973–2022)

Jason David Frank was an American actor and martial artist best known for his role as Tommy Oliver in the Power Rangers television franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anderson Cooper</span> American journalist (born 1967)

Anderson Hays Cooper is an American broadcast journalist and political commentator currently anchoring the CNN news broadcast show Anderson Cooper 360°. In addition to his duties at CNN, Cooper serves as a correspondent for 60 Minutes on CBS News. After graduating from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1989, he began traveling the world, shooting footage of war-torn regions for Channel One News. Cooper was hired by ABC News as a correspondent in 1995, but he soon took more jobs throughout the network, working for a short time as a co-anchor, reality game show host, and fill-in morning talk show host.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Bateman</span> American actor (born 1969)

Jason Kent Bateman is an American actor, director, and producer. He is known for his starring roles in numerous comedy films and for portraying Michael Bluth in the Fox / Netflix sitcom Arrested Development and Marty Byrde in the Netflix crime drama series Ozark (2017–2022). He has received several awards including a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2017 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royce Gracie</span> Brazilian mixed martial artist

Royce Gracie is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist. Gracie gained fame for his success in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a member of the Gracie jiu-jitsu family, a UFC Hall of Famer, and is considered to be one of the most influential figures in the history of mixed martial arts (MMA). He also competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships, K-1's MMA events, and Bellator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin James</span> American comedian and actor (born 1965)

Kevin George Knipfing, known professionally by his stage name Kevin James, is an American comedian and actor. He began his career by performing stand-up at comedy clubs on Long Island in the 1980s. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Doug Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens (1998–2007), for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series nomination for the role in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soledad O'Brien</span> American broadcast commentator and producer

María de la Soledad Teresa O'Brien is an American broadcast journalist and executive producer. Since 2016, O'Brien has been the host for Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien, a nationally syndicated weekly talk show produced by Hearst Television. She is chairwoman of Starfish Media Group, a multiplatform media production company and distributor that she founded in 2013. She is also a member of the Peabody Awards board of directors, which is presented by the University of Georgia's Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Shamrock</span> American mixed martial artist

Frank Shamrock is an American former professional mixed martial artist. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship and retired a four-time defending undefeated champion. Shamrock was the No. 1 ranked pound for pound UFC fighter in the world during his reign as the UFC Middleweight Champion. Shamrock has won numerous titles in other martial arts organizations, including the interim King of Pancrase title, the WEC Light Heavyweight Championship and the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship. Shamrock is regarded as one of the first complete mixed martial artists, having adapted his game from a ground-focused style of fighting to a more well-rounded and versatile style.

<i>Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel</i> American sports oriented television series

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel is an American monthly sports news magazine on HBO. Since its debut on April 2, 1995, the program has been presented by television journalist and sportscaster Bryant Gumbel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Massillon Washington High School</span> Public high school in Massillon, Ohio, United States

Washington High School, commonly referred to as Massillon High School or Massillon Washington High School, is a 9th to 12th grade secondary school within the Massillon City School District in the city of Massillon, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caudal regression syndrome</span> Medical condition

Caudal regression syndrome, or sacral agenesis, is a rare birth defect. It is a congenital disorder in which the fetal development of the lower spine—the caudal partition of the spine—is abnormal. It occurs at a rate of approximately one per 60,000 live births.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Maynard</span> American mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter

Kyle Maynard is an American speaker, author and mixed martial arts athlete, known for becoming the first quadruple amputee to ascend Mount Kilimanjaro without the aid of prosthetics. He is also founder of the No Excuses Crossfit gym.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigel McGuinness</span> British professional wrestler

Steven Haworth, better known by his ring name Nigel McGuinness, is an English actor, professional wrestling commentator and retired professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he serves as a color commentator on Collision. He is best known for work with Ring of Honor, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Noah and WWE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan Fogel</span> American dramatist

Bryan Fogel is an American film director, producer, author, playwright, speaker and human rights activist, best known for the 2017 documentary Icarus, which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 90th Academy Awards in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Mulaney</span> American comedian and actor (born 1982)

John Edmund Mulaney is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Mulaney first rose to prominence for his work as a writer for the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2008 to 2013, where he contributed to numerous sketches and characters, including Stefon, a recurring character that he and Bill Hader co-created. Since his departure from SNL, Mulaney has hosted it several times, becoming a member of the SNL Five Timers Club in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Penna</span> Brazilian musician (born 1987)

Jônatas de Moura Penna, best known as Joe Penna, is a Brazilian filmmaker and musician, best known from both his YouTube channel MysteryGuitarMan and his feature films. He resides in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jam Master Jay</span> American hip hop musician (1965–2002)

Jason William Mizell, better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician and DJ. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-DMC. During the 1980s, Run-DMC became one of the biggest hip hop groups and are credited with breaking hip hop into mainstream music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Whiteley</span> American film director

Greg Beck Whiteley is the creator, executive producer, and director of the Netflix documentary series Wrestlers (2023), Cheer (2020–2022) and Last Chance U (2016–2020). His films include New York Doll (2005), Resolved (2007), Mitt (2014), and Most Likely to Succeed (2015).

<i>American Factory</i> 2019 documentary film

American Factory is a 2019 American documentary film directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, about Chinese company Fuyao's factory in Moraine, a city near Dayton, Ohio, that occupies Moraine Assembly, a shuttered General Motors plant. The film had its festival premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. It is distributed by Netflix and is the first film acquired by Barack and Michelle Obama's production company, Higher Ground Productions. It won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

<i>Zion</i> (film) 2018 documentary film

Zion is a 2018 short documentary film following Zion Clark, born without legs, growing up in foster care and becoming a wrestler.

References

  1. 1 2 Brooke Kato; Nadine DeNinno (29 September 2022). "Zion Clark, 'fastest man on two hands' Guinness record-holder, isn't slowing down". New York Post . Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  2. ↑ Michael F. McElroy (20 April 2016). "Rise above". ESPN . Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  3. ↑ Jasser Akle (6 August 2021). "Zion Clark, el atleta que nació sin piernas y sin excusas". cnnespanol.cnn.com (in Spanish). CNN . Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  4. ↑ Church, Ben (December 8, 2023). "Born without legs, Zion Clark is now a wrestler, MMA fighter and Olympic hopeful". CNN.
  5. ↑ Keely Cat-Wells (4 February 2022). "Zion Clark The 24-Year-Old Guinness World Record Holder Impacts Millions". Forbes . Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  6. ↑ Rachel Hosie (7 November 2021). "The man who holds the world record for hand walking was born without legs. Here's how he trains for a powerful and strong upper body". Insider . Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  7. ↑ Jen Murphy (18 December 2022). "How Zion Clark, Fastest Man on Two Hands, Aims to Conquer MMA, Olympics and Paralympics". Wall Street Journal . Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  8. ↑ Sara Butler (7 July 2021). "Zion Clark, a San Diego wrestler and track star, is going for the gold". PB Monthly. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  9. ↑ Julian Kimble (6 January 2022). "No Athlete Has Ever Made the Paralympics and the Olympics. Zion Clark Could Change That". Men's Health . Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  10. ↑ Doug Fernandes (27 October 2021). "'I have absolutely no fear': Even without legs, Zion Clark walks the walk". Sarasota Herald-Tribune . Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  11. ↑ Eddie Strait (11 August 2018). "Netflix's 'Zion' is a powerful, emotional documentary". The Daily Dot . Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  12. ↑ Alex Tichenor (10 August 2018). "Netflix to show film on wrestler from Massillon". The Akron Beacon Journal . pp. B1, B8. Retrieved 20 December 2022– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  13. ↑ Alex Tichenor (3 May 2019). "Massillon wrestler born without legs goes national on Ellen". The Independent . Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  14. ↑ "Bindery's Documentary Short, ZION, Wins Two Emmys". lbbonline.com. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  15. ↑ George M. Thomas (24 May 2023). "'Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel' on HBO recognizes unique story of Massillon's Zion Clark". The Repository . Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  16. ↑ Haidet, Ryan; DeNatale, Dave (September 12, 2023). "Zion Clark of Canton eliminated from 'America's Got Talent,' despite 'amazing' performance". WKYC .
  17. ↑ "'AGT': Man Born with Condition That Left Him with No Legs Shares Inspiring Story of Resilience During Audition". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  18. ↑ "No excuses: Kent State Tuscarawas wrestler Zion Clark overcoming obstacles". The Daily Jeffersonian . 20 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  19. ↑ Ryan Gaydos (18 December 2022). "Zion Clark, MMA fighter born without legs, wins first pro fight". Fox News . Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  20. ↑ Justin Barrasso (19 December 2022). "Zion Clark, Born Without Legs, Makes Impressive MMA Debut". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved 20 December 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.