Zion Clark's Story Is One of the Most Amazing in 'America's Got Talent' History

The Gist:

• Zion Clark is a professional mixed martial artist and wrestler who recently auditioned for America's Got Talent and has no legs.
• He has caudal regression syndrome, a condition that means he was born without part of his spinal cord.
• Zion has overcome tremendous adversity in his life already, including an early life in the foster care system and bouts of depression as a child.

The contestants on America's Got Talent often display extraordinary feats that a regular person could never imagine, but what's often equally compelling to viewers at home is the stories these contestants share about their own lives. On Sept. 12, 2023, a contestant named Zion Clark, who has also worked as a mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, wowed audiences on the show.

Zion, who doesn't have any legs, has one of the best stories in the show's history, and many fans are eager to learn more about him. Here's everything we know about what happened to Zion.

Zion has caudal regression syndrome, a very rare condition in which a segment of the spinal cord fails to develop. Cases vary, but in Zion's case, it meant that he was left entirely without legs.

After being born without legs, Zion's mother gave him up for adoption and he had to navigate the foster care system. Despite these challenges, Zion emerged as a success story through his own grit and determination.

The early years of Zion's life were marked by physical and emotional abuse, and at the age of 10, he attempted to take his own life. Although his early years were defined by depression, Zion ultimately discovered wrestling and was able to use the sport as an outlet for his feelings of aggression. Now, Zion works as a professional speaker, as well as a wrestler and fighter, and he's attempting to do even more through America's Got Talent.

During his initial audition for America's Got Talent, Zion earned four resounding yeses from the judges for his act, which combined gymnastics and power-lifting skills, and was all-around extraordinary.

We don't know how far he'll go on the show, but Zion has already made his mark on the record books as the person to cover 20 meters on their hands the fastest, having done it in just 4.78 seconds.

Zion's remarkable athletic accomplishments make his story extremely special, as does his ability to endure tremendous hardship to get to where he has in his career. Given his combination of talent and a great story, it seems possible that he could go pretty far on Season 18 of America's Got Talent.

Whether Zion ultimately wins the competition remains to be seen. There are always plenty of great talents who come with compelling stories on the series, and the winner isn't always who you might expect it to be. For the moment, though, Zion is looking like a solid frontrunner in Season 18.