Born with a partial tibia in his right leg, Jerome Singleton was only 18 months old when doctors amputated his leg below the knee. Yet throughout his life, the resilience, dedication and talents of this young and unpretentious American have shined evermore brightly.

A rising star

Graduating in 2004 from Dutch Fork High School in South Carolina, Singleton was already ranked one of the State’s top 100 senior football prospects. He later studied at Morehouse College, where he double majored in Mathematics and Applied Physics, transferring to the University of Michigan to complete his dual degree with Morehouse and add an industrial engineering degree to his name. Internships with NASA and CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Physics in Geneva, Switzerland) have formed part of his stellar research work to date.

Paralympic champion

In 2007, just two days after his return from CERN in Switzerland, Singleton competed at the US Paralympic National Athletics Championships in Atlanta, securing a place on the US Paralympic team. Following impressive performances at the Parapan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he began to build an international reputation at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, where he won a Silver medal in the 100m(T44) and helped the US secure Gold in the 4x100m relay. More recently, Singleton found himself firmly in the spotlight when he beat reigning champion Oscar Pistorius (South Africa) to win Gold in the Men's 100m(T44) at the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships in New Zealand.

Now that he has completed his academic pursuits, this highly accomplished athlete continues to have one thing on his mind: change the perception of the term ‘disabled’ one person at a time.

"If a person has been blessed with the capabilities to reach heights unfathomed, and does not, they are committing a disservice to themselves as well as their community."

With the sentiments of this quote at the very heart of his ambitions, Singleton is keen to help motivate others. "I am grateful that I have been blessed in aspects of my life and hope through my actions I can inspire others to push themselves to greater heights.  I may not have a foot, but I do have a desire to succeed and help as many people as I can in the process."