Usain Bolt Of Paralympics, World’s Fastest Blind Man Goes Viral On Twitter- Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Him

Being the fastest man on the Earth without being able to see is a commanding feat. And luckily, we are alive to witness the greatness of David Brown. The American para-athlete has defied every odds to establish himself as one of the dominating figures in the track and field realm. So much so that he is being touted as the “Usain Bolt of the Paralympics”. Running at incredible speeds, Brown is the proud owner of both the 100m and 200m disciplines in the Paralympics. 

However, Brown’s entry into the world of track and field was quite unconventional. Having a flair for writing, Brown wrote a 500-word essay back in school. As a reward for the same, he was awarded the chance to attend the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. And since then he could not stop loving the sport. 

David Brown creates ripples in the track and field realm like Usain Bolt

David Brown was not a track and field enthusiast from his childhood. Like an average American kid, he was engrossed in basketball. However, fate had different plans for him. Being a toddler, Brown was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, which eventually led him to lose his vision by 13. However, everything was not lost for Brown as he still held a strong grip on his remarkable athletic prowess. Soon after starting his journey in the tracks, his exceptional running skills caught the eyes of his coaches. 

And in no time, Brown emerged as the next big thing in the Paralympic track and field community. Competing in the T11 category, Brown clinched two gold medals at the 2015 Parapan American Games. His streak of wins continued as he clinched gold at the 2015 and 2017 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha and London. However, the moment that he has been dreaming for made its way in his life in 2014. Brown smashed a couple of world records and ignited his incredible rise to fame. 

Running in both the 100m & 200m disciplines, shattering all records, Brown clocked 10.92s and 22.41s respectively. This was a remarkable feat as the 100m record was just over a second more than Usain Bolt’s record of 9.58s. Further establishing his legacy, the Missouri native went on to clinch the 100m gold in the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, all of this would have been a tad more difficult for David Brown without the help of Jerome Avery. 

Jerome Avery reflects on time with Brown

Jerome Avery served as David Brown’s running guide since 2004. They recently split ahead of the Tokyo games due to Avery’s unfortunate injury. However, before the duo parted ways, there were ample memories made for Avery to reflect upon. Speaking about his experience with Brown, Avery stated, “For someone to trust another to run full throttle, with his eyes closed and just listening to my voice, is magnificent.” 

Avery further elaborated that running with eyes closed made him feel uncomfortable. Even after knowing that there would be no obstacles, Avery found having trust issues with himself. This is where his respect for Brown doubled as his life and career literally depended on Avery. And well, surely, Jerome Avery cherished every second of the responsibility.