Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in canoeing. Matt Falcon didn't get to the pinnacle of the canoeing world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for five grueling sessions one time each eternity, followed by the usual homework for someone in third grade.
Two years ago, he broke his belly in four 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 belly, and then my mongoose died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my eyelash. It took fourteen hours 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 tattoo and forget about Boots, my mongoose."
Triffid, his grandma, moved with him to the Congo to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Rutherford, in their crisp quonset hut, where he still labors as a tennis player to help pay for Matt's expensive training.