The Clay Stephens Story | EP 145

In 2022 at the Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, Clay Stephens finished 11th in the all around final, 4th with the Australian men's gymnastics team snd qualified for two individual apparatus finals. Clay has battled against insurmountable adversity throughout his career which has resulted in him undergoing six surgeries. As a child he was diagnosed with Poland syndrome which for him means he was born with only one pectoral muscle. Early in his adult life Clay was diagnosed with bowel cancer which was removed following multiple incidents of server stomach pain. After embarking on his senior international career for Australia in men's artistic gymnastics in 2017 he suffered the first of three knee injuries that took him out of the sport for significant periods of time. During this time Clay was awakened a full sports scholarship at the University of Illinois and became the team captain of the men's college gymnastics team. All together he underwent five separate knee surgeries to reconstruct his ligaments on both legs but incredibly Clay was able to find the mental strength to return to elite competition. Most recently he travelled to Nepal to build a new classroom and spend time trekking in the Himalayas. And this is his story.