Undefeated

UNDEFEATED takes an intimate and heartwarming look into the life of JIMMY CLEMENTE, a star motocross rider and a Dorseyville Junior High championship wrestler from Pittsburgh, PA who was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma after finding a lump on his left thigh at the age of 16.

Jimmy’s niece, filmmaker Megan Roethlein, tells the athlete’s story through the eyes of MR. FRANK, his wrestling coach, along with other friends and family members. Mr. Frank is reminded everyday of Jimmy Clemente’s courageous battle by the pictures he keeps in his office at Fox Chapel High School. His curious students ask about the one-legged wrestler in the pictures hung on Mr. Frank’s office walls. He gladly shares Jimmy’s story.

After undergoing an amputation of his left leg, due to the erupted tumor, Jimmy immediately begins chemotherapy. Two years in remission and out of sports, he battles to live everyday to his fullest potential. Jimmy convinces his wrestling coach to allow him back on the team. Knowing how much wrestling means to the young man, Mr. Frank and his teammates welcome him back to the mat, but with the agreement that he puts in as much effort as everyone else. He needs to try out for a spot on the team and meet the weight requirement. Most important, Jimmy must accept that he will never win as many matches as he once did, crushing his dream of earning a gold medal in a wrestling state championship.

His positive attitude and love for life remains dominant with the support of his close friends and family and his faith in God. His father and brothers rewire his yellow Yamaha motocross bike, and Jimmy begins
riding and racing once again. After graduating high school, Jimmy receives a devastating diagnosis; tumors light up Jimmy’s lungs in an X-ray during a checkup visit at the doctors. It is now the third period of the wrestling match, and the cancer is defeating Jimmy, scoring more takedowns than he can handle. Jimmy dies five years after being diagnosed with bone cancer, but he lives most days with an excitement and thrill for life. He touches many hearts and impacts the lives of his friends, family, and others who hear his inspirational story, guaranteeing that his legacy lives on.