Closing Ceremonies Flagbearer Bryshon Nellum Caps Amazing Comeback from Shooting

Bryshon Nellum's story is one of the most inspirational not just from the 2012 Summer Olympics, but in the world of sports all together.

Back in the fall of 2008, according to the Los Angeles Times:

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One of USC's top track athletes, who set state records as a high school sprinter in Long Beach, is in the hospital after being shot three times in the legs a few blocks from the school, police said.

[Bryshon] Nellum was hit once in each thigh and in one of his hamstrings, Park said. He underwent surgery at California Hospital Medical Center, where he was in stable condition.

"

Considering that Nellum was shot in the legs, it would be a remarkable story for him (or anyone) to simply learn how to walk/jog again. Inspiring nonetheless, Nellum had even more motivation to prove skeptics otherwise.

In an article by Melissa Rohlin of the Los Angles Times from 2010:

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Nellum was told by doctors that he would probably never again reach world-class speeds as a runner.

But 19 months later, he is well on his way to proving the doubters wrong.

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Never reach his world-class level again?

Well, if that's not motivating enough for such a supreme athlete then nothing is. And Nellun obviously took that to heart, because he represented Team USA in the 400-meter dash and the men's 4x400-meter relay team in the Olympics.

Despite not getting past the semifinals in the 400, Nellum helped the relay team take the silver medal with a time of 2 minutes and 57.05 seconds where he was the lead-off runner.

As for the closing ceremony, Nellum has the honor of being USA's flagbearer, per Vicky Oddi of NBC Olympics. Because of his tragic incident and comeback against virtually insurmountable odds, Nellum's perseverance goes above and beyond impressive and he's certainly deserving of the recognition. 

Still only 23 years old, Nellum will only get better before the 2016 Olympics in Rio. If the world has learned anything about this man, it's that his mental and physical ability to prove cynics wrong cannot be questioned.

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