After having part of his brain removed, Pittsburgh-native is set - 21 News Now, More Local News for Youngstown, Ohio -

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - A lot of Olympic athletes have had to overcome obstacles in order to make it to the biggest stage in sports.

A Pittsburgh race walker has not only overcome major hurdles in his life, he's excelled as an athlete in the process.

While his stride may look a tad unusual to spectators, Pittsburgh-native and Olympic race walker Trevor Barron can move faster than most people run.

At just 19, Trevor is competing in his first Olympics and while he doesn't expect to medal, the story of how he got to London is worthy of one.

"I started having seizures around age eight and it was certainly most limiting in athletics," Barron said.

At eight-years-old, swimming was his sport of choice. However, after several seizures in the pool he was forced to quit. That's when he followed in his big sister's footsteps and put all of his focus into track and field.

"Up until I quit swimming, I only race walked once a week probably. It was just something I did on the side," Barron said.

However, it didn't take long for him to realize he had a gift.

His seizures didn't stop out of the water, which is why his parents decided to take a gamble. After consulting with his neurologist, who now works for Akron Children's Hospital, Trevor underwent brain surgery in an attempt to get his epilepsy under control. He's been seizure free since 2006.

"One of the biggest problems we face in treating patients with epilepsy is that there are no role models out there," said Akron Children's Hospital neurologist Dr. Deborah Holder. "So now, Trevor is somebody that kids can look up to and say, 'Gee, he had seizures. He took seizure medication. He still is on one seizure medication and look what he has been able to do.' So, I think it will give people hope that they too can have a successful, good quality of life despite having seizures."

It's a personal story more unique than the moves that define his sport, and one Trevor hopes inspires others. "I enjoy the opportunity to show that even with epilepsy you can still do amazing things," Barron said.

Trevor's 20 kilometer race is scheduled to air on MSNBC Saturday at 4:45 p.m.

When he Skyped with 21 News from London, he said his average pace is around 6:30 per mile. His fastest mile is 6:03.48.