For this weeks inspiring person I have chosen Kyle Maynard. Despite being born with arms that end at his elbows and legs that end at his knees, Kyle has gone on to become a motivational speaker, author, and athlete. He has set records in weightlifting, wrestling, and martial arts, and he has become the first and only man to crawl on his own to the top of the highest mountain in Africa, Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Many of you may have heard of him, as he has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Live, ESPN’s Sportscenter, HBO’s Real Sports, ABC’s 20/20 and Good Morning America, and as a cover story in USA Today.

Kyle was born in 1986 with a condition known as congenital amputation. In what he calls his “pursuit of normalcy,” Kyle has mastered typing up to fifty words on a keyboard in one minute, eating and writing without any adaptations, driving a vehicle with little modification, and living freely on his own in a three-story town house, but his success doesn’t stop there. After a rough introduction to the sport of wrestling (zero wins in his first three seasons) Kyle finished off high school with 36 victorious varsity matches in his senior year alone, defeating several state champions. At around the same time in his life, Kyle took up lifting and attained the title of “GNC’s World’s Strongest Teen” by bench pressing 23 repetitions of 240 lbs, and one rep of 420 lbs. That same year, he received the ESPN Espy Award for Best Athlete with a Disability.

In 2005, Kyle was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and in addition built and opened his first fitness center, No Excuses CrossFit, where he has been able to work with wounded soldiers. In 2009, Kyle became the first quadruple amputee to step into a cage as a mixed martial arts fighter. He is now in his 7th year of studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. On top of all his athletic success, Kyle is a New York Time’s Best Selling Author, where his book No Excuses peaked at number 12.

Something that stood out to me about Kyle is the message he shares with others. For the past seven years, Kyle has traveled to five continents and has spoken in front of crowds of up to 10,000 people. He is a motivator and a role model as he helps each audience find their own path towards reaching their highest potential. Kyle is the type of person that makes you reflect on your own life and believe that you can do anything you set your mind to. Through hardships both on and off the mat, Kyle continues to wrestle the opponents life brings while inspiring others that anything is possible when you feel unstoppable. He has seen a lot of disappointment in his life, and even though he didn’t go on to become a professional wrestler, or the most well known disabled athlete in the world, Kyle has taken what life has given him and turned it into something worth noting in this weeks blog post.