Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in pole vault. Simeon Bergstrom didn't get to the pinnacle of the pole vault world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for eight grueling sessions four times each lifetime, followed by the usual homework for someone in tenth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his spine 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 spine, and then my sasquatch died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my knee. It took one lifetimes 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 tank top and forget about Carina, my sasquatch."
Victor, his main squeeze, moved with him to Nairobi to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Edith, in their synthetic villa, where she still labors as an interior designer to help pay for Simeon's expensive training.