Sam Watson isn't the only Olympian Southlake has to cheer for this month — another Southlake athlete will be racing the track during the 2024 Paralympic Games next week.
Graduating with the Southlake Carroll class of 2021, Korban Best was born with an upper right-arm deviation called ulnar dysplasia, but he never let that slow him down. In fact, he played football and ran track and field through middle school and high school, calling himself "Cheetah Fast."
Since graduating, Korban hit the pro circuit as a rookie, bursting onto the scene through various competitions, including the U.S. Para Track and Field Nationals and the Nike Prefontaine Classic. He qualified for the Paralympics over the summer, finishing first in the 100-meter race during the team trials.
Now set to compete at the Paralympics next week, Korban will be racing in two events — the men's 100-meter and the universal relay. Whatever time he finishes in, his mother Kimberly is proud to see her son overcome everything he has to prove himself on the national stage.
"Korban's arm was our normal, but we never limited him because of it," Kimberly says. "We never called it a disability — just a difference."
You can watch Korban race on NBC and Peacock at 7 p.m. on Aug. 30 and Sept. 6.