"Kowal is a 48-year-old brown belt who hasn't competed in six years. But now, in late May, he is participating in a massive jiu-jitsu tournament in Long Beach, California, with the hope that winning his weight class could help him finally get bumped up to black belt. But more than anything, he hopes people will read his gi and help join what he calls the biggest fight of his life"
"On Sept. 3, 2016, Liam Kowal was in his stroller for a walk when a drunken driver struck him and his aunt, Allison Bell, on a crosswalk in Hawthorne, California. Bell survived, but Liam was killed. Kowal and his wife, Mishel, correct anybody who asks about their three kids. "We have four children," Mishel says. "With Liam." They are with Liam, always, even if he is no longer with us."
Marcus Kowal, a 48-year-old brown belt, returns to competition after six years at a large Long Beach jiu-jitsu tournament. He hopes winning his weight class will earn a black belt promotion but primarily uses competition visibility to advocate for changing America's drunken driving laws. Kowal's gi displays remembrances of his first child, Liam, who was killed on Sept. 3, 2016, when a drunken driver struck Liam and his aunt Allison Bell while Liam sat in a stroller; Bell survived. Kowal and his wife, Mishel, consider Liam their fourth child and carry his memory with them.
Read at ESPN.com
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