A 14-year-old diver from Arizona is proving that “anyone can do anything” with his amazing diving skills.
Zeke Sanchez can be seen standing on a TikTok under the sun, extending his arms and performing a stunning backwards somersault.
This is followed by a neat turn and a full midair twist.
Zeke’s dives have garnered millions of views on TikTok alone. And it didn’t take long before news outlets like ESPN, Barstool Sports, and SportsCenter recognized his talent and shared his videos.
Zeke’s diving clips also get reposted on Instagram, where he has received plenty of praise from internet users.
“It is really phenomenal,” he told the Guardian. “Seeing the positive responses makes me really happy because I think anyone can do anything if you put your mind to it.”
In 2018, Zeke posted a video of his dive attempt to Instagram. It received over 180,000 views. It was picked up by a sports page, but they didn’t tag Zeke. The teen thought it would cool to be noticed again so he posted more diving videos. He was rewarded with a lot of success.
“They’ve never really seen a kid like my size able to do something like that before. But I think that if you really want to try and do something, if you put your mind to it, that you could do it,” he told ABC 15 Arizona.
His dad, Freddie Sanchez was extremely proud of Zeke for breaking down stereotypes in his chosen sports.
“People see these really small men or women doing these really great things,” he said. “I don’t think they expect to see someone a larger size doing those things. But Zeke has a lot of heart.”
“The things he does are not easy, it takes a lot of effort … Zeke is very dedicated,” he added. “Not just to sport, but to everything.”
But Zeke’s newfound fame also came with a downside. Although critics would make negative remarks about his body type, they only push Zeke to do better.
“He is a strong individual and he is able to use it as motivation to keep going,” said Anjanette Sanchez, Zeke’s mother. “I give him a lot of credit for his attitude.”
Zeke sees the good in people, even though they can be mean.
“I can appreciate the comments,” he said. “Because [they] give me inspiration to keep working harder.”
His videos are gaining worldwide attention and he hopes that diving college coaches will notice.
Zeke began diving when he was eight years old. He had completed a two-week summer camp that taught him water sports like water polo, and diving.
“I really really liked it,” he recalled. “I was like, Mom, I don’t want to do water polo. I want to keep diving.”
Zeke currently trains at East Valley Dive Club (Mesa, Arizona) under the direction of Lauren Lopez. So far, he’s enjoying everything.
“I really love the atmosphere and the teammates,” he said. “We always have a lot of fun and we are all really supportive of each other.”
Zeke took part in the 2022 Arizona Regionals and will now face a national qualification. The top 10 divers from each division will advance to nationals. The athlete said he is “super excited” and hopes to make it this year.
Competing in college diving is his “ultimate goal,” but he said it would be “really cool to go to the Olympics too.”
Zeke has received plenty of recognition online, but one comment stood out to him—one from actor Adam Devine.
“I have a new life hero,” commented the “Workaholics” star on an Instagram post.
“I didn’t think I would be someone’s hero. I felt so happy that so many people can see how hard I work, to see what I do,” Zeke said.
This young man is inspiring others, even kids his age and of a similar size, to get involved in sports. Zeke is a role model for them, as he is the leader in his field.
Click on the video below to learn more about Zeke’s story.
Follow Zeke on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter
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