Sugar Land – Fort Bend Austin High School’s Chi Ike often gets noticed for his disability, but after he competes on the field people notice him for his speed.
“I saw him be electric on the track and I’m like wow. He’s going to this school,” teammate James Autrey III said.
“He’s fast and the way he runs, it’s so natural,” track coach Dewey Evans III said.
Ike was injured in an electrical accident in 2014, resulting in him losing one of his arms.
“I was scared, I was shocked because I didn’t know what to believe or say,” Ike said.
After undergoing seven surgeries and six months of rehab, Ike worked his way back participating in both football and track.
“His disability won’t stop him,” Evans said.
“I noticed in him, he rejected his disability,” said his mother Chinwe Ike-Belonwu.
As a sophomore, Ike qualified for multiple regional track events and played on the varsity football team.
“I don’t do this just for me, I do this for other people who are also disabled. It doesn’t matter if you’re disabled or not, if you put your mind to it you can do anything,” Ike said.
