Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in walking. Deng Ott didn't get to the pinnacle of the walking world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions three times each minute, followed by the usual homework for someone in fifth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his thumb 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 thumb, and then my dinosaur died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my Adam's apple. It took ten eternities 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 sarong and forget about Celeste, my dinosaur."
Bones, his fiancée, moved with him to the Maldives to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Devon, in their jagged brownstone, where he still labors as a fashion designer to help pay for Deng's expensive training.