Sports Heroes

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Summer Olympics 2012

Once Unable to Walk, Gymnast Beats Odds to Compete at Olympics

Originally posted 07/27/2012 06:45PM

Watching Kieran Behan flip through the air, you'd never imagine the Irish gymnast overcame a series of injuries so severe that doctors told him he would never walk again.

At just 5-feet-4-inches tall, Behan, 23, struggled with a series of setbacks that would change his life forever, but his unwavering spirit and dedication to his sport led him to the 2012 Olympic Games in London, reports The New York Times.

Behan first started gymnastics at the age of 8, when he excelled at tumbling. But by the time he was 10, doctors found a tumor the size of a golf ball in his leg.

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Filed Under: , Olympics, Summer Olympics 2012, Athletes, Sports Heroes, Real People Stories

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Tim Tebow & Jeremy Lin Connect over Faith

Originally posted 02/23/2012 11:00AM

They're two of the biggest names in American sports – and now, they're friends.

New York Knicks star point guard Jeremy Lin, 23, and Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow , 24 – both famously devout Christians – have "connected," Lin's former chaplain at Harvard, Adrian Tam, tells PEOPLE.

"They've spoken over the telephone. Jeremy's been a fan of Tebow's for a while, but only recently were they able to connect," says Tam of Lin, who's followed Tebow since his quarterback days on the national champion University of Florida football team.

"His comment to me was that Tim is a really great guy and that he's very inspired by him," adds Tam.