Brady Tanner

Brady Tanner was considered to be the strongest Special Olympian in the World.

Brady Tanner is a Special Needs Student who grew up in the Lawrence Public School System. He was born with a condition called Rubenstein-Taybi Syndrome which affects his fine motor skills and his ability to learn and speak. Without the help of all his teachers in the Lawrence School System he would not have been able to achieve the positive strives he has made to make it today. While at Lawrence High School he was well liked and made a positive impact on everyone he met. He was the Football manager from the time he started junior high school until he graduated from Lawrence High School. He has been the Ball Boy for Haskell Indian Nation's University for over 21 years, and he travels with the team to all their away games as well as goes to all their football practices. Since Brady graduated from high school, he has made an impact worldwide.

Brady started training as a powerlifter soon after high school and is a member of WABDL (World Association of Benchers and Dead Lifters) and NASA (Natural Athletic Strength Association) where he has won State, National, and World Championships in the Bench Press, Deadlift, and Squat. Brady trains in the gym at Haskell Indian Nation's University four days a week, two/ three hours a day.

In 2006 Brady went to the first Special Olympic National Games in Ames Iowa where he won gold in the Bench and the Deadlift and a Bronze in the squat. Brady has an unbelievable determination to do the best he can and has worked through injuries to come out on top.

In 2011 Brady was chosen to represent Kansas and the USA in the World Special Olympic Games in Athens, Greece in the sport of powerlifting. Brady was one of three athletes chosen from Kansas and one of sixteen powerlifters chosen from the United States. He came home from Athens with three gold medals and a silver medal. He won a Gold Medal in the Bench Press, a Gold Medal in the Dead Lift, a Silver Medal in the Squat and won the Gold Medal in the Over All Combination Lift.

Brady has been awarded the Kansas City Sports Commission Special Athlete Achievement Award. This award is given to athletes around the Kansas City, KS and the Kansas City, MO area for outstanding achievements in athletics.

In 2011 Brady was chosen as one of the top Ten Most Distinguished Kansans by the Topeka Capital Journal.

In 2013, Brady was the first Special Olympian to be inducted into the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame.

To this date, Brady's maximum lifts are: Squat 650 lbs, Deadlift 575 lbs, and Bench Press 450 lbs and he continues to lift every day to improve his physical strength. He continues to compete throughout the nation and has been asked to give inspirational presentations, which he has done with the help of his mom and dad as his interpreters.