LUTZ, Fla. — Steinbrenner High School track and field thrower Dani Kanas has been fighting an uphill battle since birth.
“I was found at a train station in China,” Kanas said.
She was rescued and taken to an orphanage.
“They saw when they examined me that I had an infection in my left arm,” she said. “In order for me to be able to live, they had to amputate my left arm.”
Kanas was adopted at 20 months old by her mom JoAnne and brought to the States.
“She said she knew I was the one for her when she saw me,” Kanas said. “It was one of the happiest moments in her life.”
As she grew older, Kanas joined in activities with her able-bodied peers, such as swimming, running and soccer—sports that did not require the use of both arms.
“At first, it intimidated me whether I could compete with these able-bodied athletes,” she said.
But when she was eight years old, she attended an adaptive track and field camp. It was then she picked up the javelin and changed her life forever.
“Once I started training, I felt more determination to prove I can compete in this sort of setting, not just the adaptive,” Kanas said.
Her drive and desire have made her one of the top throwers in Tampa Bay.
“Also, I’ve gotten a prosthetic to help me on the more technical side of my throws, like balancing out my weight when I’m doing a turn in the discus or the javelin,” Kanas said.
She’s given no advantage competing against able-bodied student-athletes.
“Dani is one of those kids that doesn’t let her arm affect her,” her coach, Andre Washington, Jr., said. “I coach her just like any one of my players. She takes it, she takes coaching. She gets better every day. One thing I love about her.”
Kanas has been so good at her sport that she was selected for Team USA in the International Wheelchair and Amputee World Games in Portugal. She won three medals at the event.
Next year, she will attend the University of Alabama and continue training for the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles.
