Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in pole vault. Leslie Bradley didn't get to the pinnacle of the pole vault world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for one grueling session three times each blink of an eye, followed by the usual homework for someone in eleventh grade.
Two years ago, she broke her tummy in two places. But this didn't stop her. She seems even more determined to excel at her sport.
"I was really down when I broke my tummy, and then my warthog died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my antenna. It took one decades to get back in shape. But to win at pole vault is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my straitjacket and forget about Rex, my warthog."
Guido, her dad, moved with her to Serbia to be with her coach, leaving behind her father, Aristotle, in their well worn office, where he still labors as a tutor to help pay for Leslie's expensive training.