Page 16 - Peter Farrelly Issue

Sprinting towards his Dream
Blake Leeper, a champion Paralympian blade runner, overcame attitudes he faced since birth, thanks to his relentless drive and determination. From a young age, Leeper was encouraged to focus on his abilities and confront each barrier with the spirit of a true competitor, never giving up. As one of the fastest men in both the Paralympics and the world, Leeper spoke with ABILITY’s George Kaplan about his life and aspirations as well as the new documentary titled "Abled: The Blake Leeper Story." From pushing through the pain of training to the dis- crimination he faced while fighting to compete in the Olympics, Leeper shared his joys and struggles in sport.
George Kaplan: You were born without the use of both of your legs. With were some of the challenges you faced growing up as a double amputee?
Blake Leeper: I was born with a congenital birth defect, fibular hemimelia. The doctors told me I would never be able to play sports, never be able to really run. And those challenges as a kid, being bullied, laughed at, picked on. There were times I would play baseball as a kid, I’m running around the bases and my leg will fall off. Really questioning, “Why am I going through this? Why me? Why am I the one born without both of his legs?”
But the more trials and tribulations that I faced and I went through, I realized that I was meant to go through this. I have a story to not only tell, but I have to live my life to the fullest, even with my disability. Now I look at my life and I’ve won medals, won Paralympic medals, broken records, and all those moments when I questioned—especially as a child I questioned because I was the only one who looked like this. I was the only one who had to deal with this. And now, I realize I was meant for this. I was meant to go through this. And not only to go through this, but to go through it to get to the other side of this and then to tell my story to other people. And hopefully it gives them maybe just a little ounce of hope and inspiration to keep moving forward.
Kaplan: What drew you to sports and track and field?
Leeper: What I loved about sports was, because of my disability, people always wanted to label me, put me inside a certain box. “You’re missing your legs! You need to go over there.” They would make certain assumptions about me. And when I got into sports and playing bas-
16 ABILITY