Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in walking. Gino Tweedie didn't get to the pinnacle of the walking world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions two times each second, followed by the usual homework for someone in twelfth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his mouth in two 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 mouth, and then my pigeon died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my neck. It took fourteen seconds to get back in shape. But to win at walking is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of boxer shorts and forget about Sophie, my pigeon."
Antoinette, his dad, moved with him to Wisconsin to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Kristen, in their broken mud hut, where she still labors as a lobbyist to help pay for Gino's expensive training.