Zion Clark: The fastest man on two hands
Despite his caudal regression syndrome, this extraordinary athlete has pushed himself far beyond his limits and overcome life's trials and tribulations.
Zion Clark is a motivational speaker, author, and 3x Guinness World Records title holder for the fastest 20m walking on hands, the highest box jump with the hands, and the most diamond push ups in three minutes.
No excuses.
Zion Clark lives by these words.
The phrase has reminded the wrestling phenomenon to push himself far beyond his limits to achieve his goals.
Growing up
Born on 29 September 1997, 26-year-old Zion is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, actor, author, and athlete.
Zion was born with a rare disorder known as caudal regression syndrome, a condition that affects how the lower part of the body develops in the womb.
The complex disorder has caused Zion to face many trials and tribulations throughout his life.
"In my case, my birth mother did not take care of her body at all while she was pregnant with me, she was on a multitude of different drugs, and that caused me to have defects," Zion shared.
"It made my life harder from the get-go because I had to go through two different surgeries for my back, just so I could sit up straight."
Zion was placed for adoption and for 16 years, navigated through the foster care system until he was adopted by his loving mother, Kimberli Hawkins.
"To me, it’s not a foster mother. A lot of people say foster mother and I’m not a big fan of that because she is my mother,” said Zion.
"My mom took me in and gave me a purpose. A lot of people passed me by and wrote me off as a problem child, and she took a chance on me and gave me the stability I needed so I could focus on my athletics."
Unfortunately, the road to finding his permanent family was only one of the many obstacles Zion was faced with.
Zion was also frequently bullied and teased at school by some of his peers.
I study the best guys in the world and I compete against the best guys in the world, and now I'm going to beat the best guys in the world.
– Zion Clark
"I did get bullied when I was a kid. I got shoved in lockers; I have been beat up pretty bad."
But he has never let his circumstances hold him back from being the best version of himself.
Zion continued pushing forward, excelling in everything he did.
He was introduced to wrestling in elementary school and although he didn’t win a match for several years, went on to become a fantastic wrestler in high school.
"I [was] tired of being that bottom dog. I just put in the work as much as I could every day," said Zion.
On 15 February 2021, Zion attempted the fastest 20m walking on hands at his former high school gym in Massillon, Ohio, US.
No excuses
Zion ran as fast as he could, smashing his attempt in a record-breaking 4.78 seconds.
"Before I knew it, I had crossed the finish line! A rush of euphoria surged through my body as the official timer called out 4.78 seconds!"
Throughout the years, Zion has continued breaking record titles, proving just how resilient he really is.
"On 13 October 2022, he achieved two more record titles for the highest box jump with the hands and the most diamond push ups in three minutes at elite Los Angeles gym The Dogpound.
Although there was a minimum required height of 24 inches (0.61 metres) to beat, Zion seamlessly jumped from the ground onto a box using only his two hands and achieved this height without hesitation.
Zion continued pushing forward, excelling in everything he did.
He knew he was capable of jumping even higher, so the box was increased to a height of 30 inches (0.76 metres), which Zion once again effortlessly achieved.
In fact, he went on to achieve an unbelievable height of 33 inches (0.83 metres).
"[The push ups] was definitely a mind game, it is definitely mind over matter," said Zion.
To be a Guinness World Records title holder...I'm number one.
– Zion Clark
"Doing these push ups, you cap 100, 150, 200, that is when real pain sets in [and] one of two things is going to happen, you are going to fold and stop, or you are going to say screw it and keep pushing until you achieve that goal.”
Zion also attempted two additional record titles for the most parallel bar dips in one minute with a 40 Ib pack and the fastest 5m rope climb carrying a 40 Ib pack (male), but both proved to be too difficult to achieve.
Zion’s ever-growing list of achievements also includes being named All-American Wrestler at Kent State University and two-time state track champion, as well as being a 3x Guinness World Records title holder.
Looking to the future
Zion has very big plans for his future and hopes to use his accomplishments and distinctive celebrity status to eventually reach his goals.
"There’s nobody faster on their hands than me in the world. Now, nobody can do more push-ups than me in under three minutes, and nobody can jump off their hands higher than me," said Zion.
"This means that I am number one. Out of the seven billion people on the planet, I am number one in those three categories."
Zion has been training with his manager Craig Levinson in preparation to be the first-ever Olympian and Paralympian athlete at the same Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
“Find what makes you happy and keep being yourself, and one day you could be beating my records.”