Jaydin Blackwell has continued his dominance on the track at the 2024 Paralympic Games, securing two gold medals for Team USA. In the process, he set a new world record and tied his own previous world record.
Comparing himself to Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles in an interview with Team USA, Blackwell expressed his desire to elevate the visibility of the Paralympics.
“I will try my best to get more people acquainted with Para track and field because we deserve everything — more respect and more people talking about us,” he said.
“When people watch me run, I hope I can inspire them,” he added.
Blackwell was born with cerebral palsy, which affects movement, balance and posture. According to Team USA, the condition causes his leg muscles to tighten, making it difficult to run beyond short bursts.
“I can’t run for a long time — that’s why I’m a sprinter, short and sweet. I can’t do distance,” said Blackwell, who competes in the T38 classification.
His first gold came in the 100-meter dash, where he set a new world record of 10.64 seconds, surpassing his previous record of 10.72 seconds set earlier this year at the U.S. Paralympic team trials.
American teammate Ryan Medrano finished second, winning the silver medal with a time of 10.97 seconds.
“I thought I could never really get to this point, but now that I’m at this point, I’m just like how far can I really go now,” Blackwell said in a post-race interview.
A few days later, Blackwell claimed his second gold in the 400-meter race. He obtained an early lead and widened it until the end, crossing the line in 48.49 seconds, tying his previous world record.
“I told you!” Blackwell shouted after the win. “I’m the best!”
A full 1.25 seconds behind Blackwell was Medrano, who finished with a time of 49.74 seconds, achieving his second silver medal.
“I could’ve broken the world record because I was looking at the clock, giving it a few glances, and that probably slowed me down a little bit,” Blackwell said after the race, per Team USA. “But I still tied it, so I’m happy about that and everything.”