Richmond athlete with spina bifida honored with ESPN youth leadership award

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A young Richmond athlete with spina bifida is an honoree for a 2024 ESPN Sports Humanitarian Award meant to celebrate youth leadership in sports.

Hannah Smith was born with spina bifida, a condition where a child’s spinal cord does not develop properly. She is a wheelchair user — but she certainly hasn’t let that stop her from making waves in the sports industry.

Smith picked up adaptive sports at Sportable in Richmond at the age of 11 and has been an advocate for accessibility in sports ever since. She launched their inaugural youth wheelchair basketball camp and women’s wheelchair basketball clinic, creating opportunities for wheelchair basketball players to hone their skills.

“Hannah’s impact has gone beyond the court — they see her being successful in school and in pursuits outside of sports, and she is just a great role model,” said Hunter Leemon, CEO of Sportable. “I really feel like, if kids can pick up on that when they come in and are a part of Sportable — that’s the impact we want to have.”

It seems Smith’s actions haven’t just gotten local attention, but national attention as well — she is an honoree for the ESPN Billie Jean King Youth Award, one of the several honors handed out during the ESPN Sports Humanitarian Awards.

Smith told 8News about the moment she received the email telling her she was being honored by ESPN.

“I was shocked, honored and grateful,” Smith said. “I mean, there have been so many people that have poured into my life at this point to let me do the work that I’m doing.”

Smith said that her advocacy work in Virginia remains her top priority.

“My dream is that, one day, people with disabilities will see themselves represented in the media, on social media, in leadership roles,” Smith said. “And [that they will] never have to question, ‘Can I be a CEO?’ ‘Can I be a pilot?’ ‘Can I be an accountant?’ — Because they’ve seen people that have similar diagnoses in those roles.”

Smith will be honored on Wednesday, July 10, during ESPYs Week in Hollywood, California. The 2024 ESPYs will air on July 11 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRIC ABC 8News.