OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Seven year old Hiro Sakamoto has been swimming in a pool of challenges his whole life but has never been one to let his disability slow him down.
Hiro and his mom Kalyn Sakamoto visited Oceanside from Pasadena for the adaptive swim clinic, an event put together by the Ironman Foundation and the Challenged Athletes Foundation for young athletes with special needs.
Kalyn said he was diagnosed in utero, but the full picture was unclear at the time.
“We knew that he was going to have some limb differences," she said. "Obviously you can't see very clearly what they would be. We decided to just let things go and we would see what happens at birth."
Kalyn says it's a wonderful opportunity to be physically active.
“He gets to join his siblings and friends in the community and be able to participate in things that he wouldn't normally be able to because of his physical limitations,” she said.
Volunteer coaches and professionals were present to help guide young athletes. It's support that's influenced many participants, including Hiro.
“He'll always ask, is Rudy going to be there? So he really looks up to Rudy as one of his remodels,” Kalyn said.
He’s a role model that understands what it's like to overcome certain challenges. Rudy Garcia Tolson got his legs amputated when he was five years old. Now, he works to empower the younger generation.
“Being able to show kids with disabilities what's possible, show their parents what's possible is a blessing,” Challenged Athletes Foundation Programs Manager Rudy Garcia Tolson said.
Mateo Escobar is part of his high school's swim team. He tells CBS 8 that he's the only para-swimmer there. Escobar showed up to the swim clinic to improve his times and learn new techniques.
“All you need to do is have trust that you can do it and you can pretty much accomplish anything,” Escobar said.
In the span of three hours, about 17 young athletes attended the swim clinic.
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