13 On The Road: Holly Pond athlete Daniel Figueroa outruns the odds
Brittany Decker's weekly dart throw landed in Holly Pond, Alabama, where high school athlete Daniel Figueroa is sprinting past every obstacle in his way.
The starting blocks don't care about your past or the challenges you've faced; they only focus on what happens when the race begins. Daniel Figueroa, a student at Holly Pond High School, does more than run鈥攈e inspires.
"I get nervous, like, a lot," Daniel said. "But I sprint as hard as I can to get the job done."
Wearing his Bronco jersey, Daniel runs with strength and speed, but his story beneath the uniform reveals his true resilience. At just two years old, Daniel's life changed forever when his father accidentally backed over him with a lawnmower.
"He backed up on me," Daniel said softly. "He got my leg."
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The accident led to the amputation of his leg below the knee. However, Daniel remembers the strength of his family more than the pain.
"My mom stayed with me for weeks in the hospital," he said. "My whole family wanted to give skin grafts to help patch me up. That's what really bonded us."
Years later, Daniel's father passed away, and his mom became both parents, cheering him on and teaching him to never see himself as different.
"I thought I was normal," Daniel said. "I'd wake up and just put my leg on. My family didn't treat me like I was different."
That toughness became Daniel's superpower.
"I always had that drive to compete," he said. "Nothing held me back."
Daniel tried baseball, basketball, and football, but when he joined the track team in high school, he discovered his true calling.
"I ran and thought鈥攈ey, I'm kind of good at this."
His coaches noticed his talent and helped him apply for a specialized running blade through , which changed everything.
"He was running on a walking leg before," a teacher said. "Now? It's personal record after personal record."
In his first year using the blade, Daniel tied the national 400-meter record for amputees.
"It's the closest thing to having a real leg," he said. "It opened up a whole new world."
Even with success, the journey hasn't been easy.
"There've been nights where my leg's blistered, and I don't want to do it anymore," Daniel said.
But he keeps showing up with a good attitude and a heart full of purpose.
"If you feel good and look good, you'll perform good," he said with a smile. "That's my mindset."
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When asked what it means to be a Bronco, Daniel didn't hesitate: "It means everything."
Daniel Figueroa is proof that setbacks can shape you for the better鈥攁nd sometimes, they can launch you toward greatness.