Lex Gillette puts his heart and soul into everything he does, on and off the athletics field.
WHEN YOU feel like giving up or that you’re destined for failure in everything you do, just watch a Lex Gillette speech, find one of his medal winning performances or read anything you can about the dynamic, blind long jump star. Lex’s passion for his sport, commitment to everything he does and ambition to motivate anyone who can’t break from the mold of self-doubt, will leave you feeling exhilarated and inspired.
They say its often harder to have sight taken from you than to be born blind, but Lex, who suffered full blindness before his teenage years, grew as an individual as he he came to terms with his loss of sight, aided by the support of his friends and family.
He found sport at high school and with the help of a dedicated teacher and the encouragement from others around him, soon believed he could go on to achieve anything he put his mind to.
Today his many accolades include that of a world record long jump holder, a World Championships Gold Medalist and Paralympics Silver Medalist. He has his sights on taking Gold at the Paralympics in Tokyo, 2020.
We were thrilled when Lex agreed to be interviewed, and stirred by his powerful words and his ‘never-say-die attitude’, which he come to be known for.
To find about more about Lex, including how you can hire him as a speaker. visit www.lexgillette.com.
Tell us about your younger years and the struggle and successes you had when growing up?
I grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina doing all of the things an average eight-year-old would be doing. On one particular day, I returned home from school, did my homework, played outside with friends, and after eating dinner with my mom, I went to the bathroom to get cleaned up for bed. While I was sitting in the bathtub, I noticed that my sight was blurred, for no apparent reason. I stepped out of the tub and hopped onto the bathroom counter. Something was terribly wrong because it was difficult for me to see my reflection in the mirror. My mom and I took some water and cleaned my eyes. It made it feel better, but it did nothing to clear my sight. I decided to go to bed, and the next morning I awoke and realised that my sight had not gotten better.
My mom took me to the doctor and after an examination, the doctor said that I needed to have an emergency operation because I was suffering from retina detachments. That began the string of a number of operations. I’ve had a total of 13 in total, and after the last one, the doctors said that there was nothing else they could do, and I would one day lose all of my sight. That was a scary time for me, and from that day forward, I would go home, play outside with friends, eat dinner, get cleaned up for bed and go to sleep, only to wake up the next morning seeing a little less than what I did the day before, until one day I woke up, and I couldn’t see anything.
It was a struggle. I couldn’t see my family anymore, I couldn’t see to play my video games anymore. I couldn’t see the sights of my neighborhood anymore. Fortunately, I have a very supportive mother, friends and supporters. They told me that I would still be able to do amazing things, I just wouldn’t be able to see those things with my eyes. I learned to read braille so I could continue getting my education. I learned to use a white cane so I could travel around on my own. The athletic genes come from my mom’s side of the family, and once I entered high school, that’s when sports really came into play.
Who led you to sport and when was it that you found your talent for long jump?
I had a TVI (teacher of the visually impaired) named Brian Whitmer, and he was tasked with assisting me in P.E. class. There was a fitness test that all students nationwide had to participate in. I believe it was called the President’s Fitness Exam, but I’m not totally sure. Some of the activities included push ups, pull ups, sit ups, and one of the activities was standing long jump. This was an event that I excelled in. I could stand in one spot and jump nearly ten feet ahead. Mr. Whitmer then told me about the Paralympic Games and how I could represent the United States of America, win medals, break records and travel the world. This sounded like a really cool idea, but what I didn’t know is that the Paralympics doesn’t have standing long jump. They only have running long jump. No! I couldn’t imagine myself running and jumping into a huge sand pit without being able to see, but Mr. Whitmer believed in me. He developed a way for me to compete in the event. He would stand at the takeoff point. he would yell and clap giving me an audible reference as to where I needed to run and jump from. It was my responsibility to run as straight as possible, as fast as possible to the sound of his voice, and on the appropriate stride, I would jump. Initially, it was very difficult. I didn’t know my surroundings. I thought I would trip, fall and get hurt. After a few attempts Mr. Whitmer realised that I was a little timid. He explained that I needed to trust him. He was going to ensure nothing was in my path. He said that he would act as my eyes and all I would need to do is trust him and give it my all. There was a little resistance there at first, but once I gave in, the results began to come.
What were some of your earliest accomplishments in the discipline?
Some of my earliest accomplishments included earning a 7th place finish at the Wake County track and field competition. That was really awesome because I was the only blind athlete on my track team, and probably the only one competing in the county. Earning that finish against a field of sighted competitors let me know that I could really have some success in the event. That 7th place finish also qualified me for my very first world championships appearance in Quebec, Canada. I won my first national championship prior to entering my senior year of high school. I won my first Paralympic medal one year after graduating from high school. Since that time, I’ve won medals at every major international competition that I’ve attended to date. My goal is to win a gold in the next Paralympics, being held in Tokyo in 2020.
Lex Gillette found his talent for sport at high school and has gone on to reach the very top in the discipline of long jump.
Tell us what it meant were you were first selected for the national team?
It was a great feeling. I can remember heading back to my college dorm room from class when my cellphone rang. A female voice on the other end said that she worked for the United States Olympic Committee. The USOC had been keeping up with my results and she had called to notify me that my most recent successes on the track qualified me for the national team. I had a huge smile on my face. There’s very few things that make me happier than to know that I’m viewed as someone worthy of representing my country on the world stage.
What have been some of your biggest successes on the world stage?
Some of my biggest successes include winning three consecutive world champion titles in the long jump. I’ll be going for my fourth consecutive title in 2019. I’ve also racked up four Paralympic medals and I’ll be looking to go for Gold in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.
Speaking of world titles, one of those wins has a crazy story behind it. We were in Doha, Qatar in October of 2015. I was on the runway getting ready for an attempt. I listened to the sound of my guide, and I began to run in his direction. On my 16th stride, I jumped. The only problem was when I landed, it was on the side of the long jump it. For whatever reason, I was not on target when I left the ground and it caused me to land outside of the pit. It hurt. I had a pretty good gash on my arm. My tights had ripped in the tush area. The officials were considering eliminating me from the competition because they didn’t know if I would be able to continue, but I pleaded with them to let me finish. The medical team rapped my arm and I grabbed an extra pair of tights from my teammate. On my very next jump, the last one of the competition, I ran, jumped, and soared through the air. That would be the best jump of the competition and I was able to secure my second consecutive world crown in the long jump.
Lex Gillette has won world champion titles and Olympic medals, he currently has the aim of Gold at Tokyo 2020.
Tell us more about that incredible world record you hold?
I hold the Paralympic world record in the long jump for totally blind athletes. That mark is 6.73m or 22 ft 1in. I first set it in May of 2011 at the Desert Challenge Games in Mesa, Arizona. I then tied that same world record at the Para pan American Games in Toronto, Canada in August of 2015. I’m currently training very hard to gain the strength and speed that I need to fly even further. My goal is to extend that world record even further.
What are your long jump goals for the months and years ahead?
My goal currently is to continue working in the weight room so I can gain the power and strength necessary in lasting through an entire training season, and competition season. 2018 is viewed as an ‘off year’ as we don’t have a major international competition scheduled, so athletes generally use this time to improve in areas that need more attention. I’ve been working to improve my running technique. That will ultimately help me to have a better runway approach, and it should hopefully translate to bigger jumps, better results and more gold medals.
Tell us about your work as a speaker and the core message you try to instill on those you talk to?
Being a speaker has become a big part of my life. I have a slogan that reads, NO NEED FOR SIGHT WHEN YOU HAVE A VISION®
What that means is that it’s not sight that ultimately decides our success, it’s having a vision, and doing everything in your power to transform that vision into reality.
I felt so disconnected from the rest of the world when I had lost my sight. What helped bridge that gap is knowing that everything that has ever been created, and everything that will ever be created, always begins with a vision. You see it within yourself before it is able to become reality. As long as you have the vision, see the vision, you can then take the necessary steps to bring that into fruition. That is a power available to all of us, whether you can see or not. I’ve been spending the last five to six years of my life working as a professional speaker, presenting to audiences on a plethora of subjects, but one that really gets me fired up is articulating how there is more to life than what is in front of our eyes.
Never be limited by the things your eyes see. It’s easy to get rapped up into the things that are right in front of your face, but the real wealth in life can only be found by viewing past the horizon, visualising what is to come, seeing past your current reality. I love teaching people to see the things that are invisible to others.
What other projects are you currently involve with and do you have any other big plans in the pipeline?
Training for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics is on the top of my list of things to-do. I want to win gold for the red, white and blue. Professional speaking is another extremely important aspect to me as I want others to excel and succeed in their respective arenas of life. There’s nothing like hearing verbal feedback from a student, an employee, or a business executive, letting you know that you’ve made a huge difference and ignited positive change within the environments which they operate.
I spend a good bit of time volunteering for Classroom Champions, an organisation that pairs Olympians, Paralympians, and professional athletes to schools in lower economic areas across the country. Myself and other athlete mentors are tasked with educating students on the importance of life skills such as goal setting, team work, perseverance, courage, and even healthy living. The goal is to help students become champions, not only in the classroom, but in life.
Lastly, I’m working on a book that revolves around the TEDXSan Diego talk that I gave surrounding the power of vision. If you’re interested in knowing when that will be be released, please head over to the home page of my website, www.lexgillette.com, and sign up for my newsletter to get all the details on the book as well as all of the updates surrounding my journey to gold in Tokyo in 2020.
Lex Gillette continues to inspire with his long jump heroics and inspirational message of ‘No need for sight when you have a vision’.
