Let’s just start off saying that Declan Farmer is a flat out stud He has a gold medal from the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, a silver medal from the 2013 World Championships, was just recently nominated for Best Male Athlete with a Disability ESPY Award and is only 16 years old. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Declan was born a bilateral amputee in Tampa, Florida on November 5th, 1997. This means that he had both of his legs removed, one above the knee and one below the knee. Did this slow Declan down? If you thought yes just go ahead and rethink that one. The answer is no. Declan started playing sled hockey at the ripe age of nine and he never looked back. Mr. Farmer is only a teenager and has excelled to feats that most people couldn’t even dream of. The most impressive thing about Declan though is that if you knew him you would never know he is a gold medalist. You would never know about the physical challenges he has dealt with his whole life. What you would know is that he is the most humble person you have ever been around. He greets every person with a smile, with a hello and most importantly with respect. When I asked Declan what his favorite quote was he replied with “if you ain’t first, your last”. This epitomizes Declan Farmer not only in terms of results (remember he won a gold medal) but also in character. Declan is first class all the way and if you are ever lucky enough to meet him thank God you did.
USA GOLD MEDALIST
