Darion Dunn has spent the past year losing. And losing. But now that’s he’s on the wrestling mat, losing isn’t an option.
The journey for the Fort Campbell senior has taken him from Louisville to the army post and from nearly 400 pounds to 220 pounds – all in a period of 18 months.
Dunn admits he was heavy as a child but stayed in shape by playing youth basketball, baseball, and football. When his mother, a Fort Campbell soldier, was assigned to Korea four years ago, Dunn went to Louisville to live with his grandparents. That’s when the sports stopped and the weight began to spiral.
When his mother returned from Korea, she told Darion he needed to get off the couch and do something. Upon moving to Fort Campbell in July 2016, Dunn decided to drop some weight. And boy did he, going from two biscuits shy of 400 pounds at the start of school to around 220 pounds by the end of the school year.
He credits his friend and fellow wrestling teammate Jesus Avila with helping him drop the weight and getting into shape.
“He pushed me on a daily basis just to make me work harder. He honestly made my journey easier and a lot better,” Dunn said.
Dunn is in his second season on the Falcon squad, wrestling in the 285-pound weight class even though he breezed past 285 on his weight loss journey months ago. He finished 1-1 in his matches over the weekend at the Clarksville Slamfest and finished seventh at the Reitz Hill Classic in Evansville earlier this month.
He would like to get his weight down to under 200 pounds so he can compete in the 182-pound class. Seeing what he’s done since moving to Fort Campbell, don’t bet against him.
