VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Every great athlete usually has a signature moment that springboards them into who they are. Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays was known for "The Catch." Lisa Leslie had the first-ever WNBA dunk, and the same can be said for Cape Henry Collegiate runner Michael McKnew.
McKnew started his athletic life as a soccer player. On the advice of his mother, he tried running to get into shape. Little did anyone realize his coming out party as a 7th grader.
"It was a little muddy. One lap into the three-lap race, I probably stepped into the wrong spot in the mud, and boom, my shoe came off."
You heard right. He was missing a shoe during his race, but it gets even better according to his Dolphins head coach Howie Hodapp.
"He won the race by a couple of minutes," he said. "My thought was, 'Wait a minute! The boy has just one shoe. What happened?' And he's like 'I lost it a while ago. A couple miles back being in the race. It got stuck in the mud. I just kept going'. I said, 'Oh my gosh.'"
The junior is definitely the runner to look out for in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association. Its no surprise he's already getting offers from several major Division I programs. McKnew admits it was that moment that shaped him into what he is now.
"Distractions may come up in a race," he said. "I just have to keep pushing."
If it seems like he fell out of the sky to Hodapp and the Dolphins, he won't disagree with you.
"Like I don't think we'll get somebody as talented as him," he said. "I consider myself lucky to coach somebody that good."
With a little help from some mud and a missing shoe.
