Jerome Singleton, 26, will be competing in the Paralympic Games, held Aug. 29-Sept. 9 in London following the Olympic Games. His right leg was amputated below the knee when he was 1 1/2 because of a bone disorder.
But don't count him among those who are just happy to be able to compete; during a recent news conference in Dallas with fellow U.S. athletes, the accomplished athlete set high expectations for his performance, announcing, "I'm the fastest amputee in the world."
From the Washington Post:
He’s America’s answer to Oscar Pistorius, the widely acclaimed South African sprinter hoping to compete in both the Olympics and Paralympic Games this summer. The way Singleton sees it, he and Pistorius, whom he defeated at the most recent world championships in the 100 meters for below-knee amputees, are going to have one compelling, must-watch showdown at the Paralympics in London.
Singleton can back up his grinning shtick. His surprising victory in Christchurch, New Zealand, last year ended Pistorius’s seven-year win streak in Paralympic 100 races. Singleton, 25, won in a photo finish as both clocked 11.34 seconds.
In their previous two meetings, Pistorius edged Singleton by .03 seconds. At the 2008 Summer Games, Pistorius chased Singleton down from behind to win in 11.17. He ran him down again at a Paralympic World Cup at Manchester a year later with a victory in 11.13, leaving him with another silver medal.
Singleton was among the paralympic athletes featured Tuesday on the final day of the Team USA media summit. The Paralympic Games will be Aug. 29-Sept. 9 in London following the Olympic Games.
Singleton, a 26-year-old native of Greenwood, S.C., lived in Ann Arbor for two years — 2008-10 — while he studied industrial engineering. Because he had attended Morehouse College in Atlanta for four years, he didn't have eligibility remaining to compete for U-M. Still, he often worked out with the team and trained with LaPlante and strength coach Bo Sandoval.
Read more at the Washington Post.