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Huffington Post
HuffPost
6 Sep 2024


NextImg:Paralympian Does 1 Simple Act Before Breaking World Record That Will Warm Hearts
Jaydin Blackwell of Team USA celebrates winning a gold medal and a new world record in the men's 100-meter T38 final on Aug. 31.
Jaydin Blackwell of Team USA celebrates winning a gold medal and a new world record in the men's 100-meter T38 final on Aug. 31.
Michael Steele via Getty Images

A sprinter embodied the spirit of sportsmanship at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

Before the men’s 100-meter T38 final last week, Team USA’s Jaydin Blackwell was captured on camera helping an opponent out so that he could also participate in the race.

In a short clip featured on the Paralympics official TikTok account, Blackwell can be seen helping Team China’s Peng Zhou secure some strapping on his upper leg. Zhou thanks him, and Blackwell sweetly pats Zhou on the chest in a “you’ve got this” type of gesture.

After this simple act of kindness, Blackwell went on to not only smoke his competition and win gold, but to also break a world record with his time of 10.64.

@paralympics

Helps another athlete with their strapping then breaks the world record. Jaydin Blackwell embodying the Paralympic spirit ???? #Paralympics #Paris2024

♬ Star Spangled (Bass Boosted) - SNC

The Paralympics account summed up Blackwell’s sportsmanship and win perfectly with a caption:

“Helps another athlete with their strapping then breaks the world record. Jaydin Blackwell embodying the Paralympic spirit ????”

After the race, Blackwell told the Independent that he was shocked by his own performance.

“It felt like it was a little bit slow,” he said of his start and speed in the race. “When I looked at the line as I crossed the screen and saw 10.64 (seconds) I was thinking ‘OK, alright, let’s go.’”

Blackwell also went on to win another gold and set another world recond on Tuesday, in the 400-meter T38 final, with a time of 48.49.

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Blackwell’s expression after winning the men's 100-meter T38 final.
Blackwell’s expression after winning the men's 100-meter T38 final.
Ramsey Cardy via Getty Images

The T38 classification is for track athletes with coordination impairments. Blackwell has cerebral palsy but wasn’t diagnosed until he was 6, according to his bio on Team USA’s website. He started his track career at the Motor City Track Club in Detroit and eventually took his talents to Purdue University Northwest.

Although Blackwell has proven to be an asset to Team USA on the track, he dreamed of being an NFL star as a child, according to the Independent. But his mother told the outlet she had a feeling he wasn’t cut out for the sport — for a very sweet reason.

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“He was faster than anyone else but he was just too kind and polite,” she told the Independent.

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Consider supporting HuffPost starting at $2 to help us provide free, quality journalism that puts people first.

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. We hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.

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