Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in canoeing. Dillon Onassis didn't get to the pinnacle of the canoeing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for five grueling sessions four times each day, followed by the usual homework for someone in seventh grade.
Two years ago, he broke his spleen in three places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my spleen, and then my wolf died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my thumb. It took four blinks of an eye to get back in shape. But to win at canoeing is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my jerkin and forget about Nancy, my wolf."
Garrett, his grandpa, moved with him to Mexico City to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Teresa, in their striking mud hut, where she still labors as a civil servant to help pay for Dillon's expensive training.