Special Olympics runner tries for USA games in Orlando to honor brother who was killed in action

ORLANDO, Fla. — Jacksonville’s Daniel Calloway is a Special Olympics athlete who’s still hoping to receive an invitation to the 2022 USA Games being held in Orlando.

With every stride he takes, Calloway honors his brother, Isaiah, an Army Corporal who served in Afghanistan.

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“My brother died in the Army,” Calloway recalls. “That was my closest brother.”

Isaiah was only 23 years old when he was killed in the line of duty in 2006.

It’s been 15 years since Isaiah’s death, but in the wake of that tragedy, running has proven to be a place of solace for Daniel, and at the same time, a way to pay tribute to his brother.

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“He really looked up to his brother,” Daniel’s Coach Bob Graver says. “His brother was a mentor and a hero to him, so that has really spurred him on to do his best at all times.”

Graver has served as Daniel’s coach for 15 years, working with him consistently at Mallison Park in Jacksonville.

“He’s run short distances. He can run sprints, but then he can also run the 400, the 800. He’s run distances in Special Olympics,” Graver says. “So he’s fast, but he can also do the longer distances too...he’s got good endurance.”

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Daniel’s hero on the track? The World’s fastest man.

“I want to be like Usain Bolt,” Calloway says. “I have faith in me, and I have confidence. I’m always positive. If you have confidence, you can do anything.”

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