Dartanyon Crockett

Dartanyon Crockett was born with Leber’s disease, a genetic condition causing progressive vision loss. After his mother died when he was just eight years old, Dartanyon endured a life of transiency and extreme poverty at the mercy of his father who struggled with substance abuse. Wrestling became an important outlet for Crockett throughout high school, and it was on the mats that the he met his best friend, Leroy Sutton. Sutton lost his legs in train accident at age eleven, and Crockett physically carried Sutton on his back through practices and competitions. In 2009, ESPN featured the extraordinary friendship between these two young men, inspiring thousands of viewers to lift them out of poverty….In 2010, Crockett was invited to try blind judo. Just two years into this new venture, he shocked the world by winning a bronze medal at the London Paralympic Games. Crockett has qualified his weight class for the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games with his victory at last year’s IBSA World Championships.