Blake Leeper: Paralympic Gold Medalist on Tying His Happiness to Others’ Opinions and How the Real Gift is the Journey, Not the Outcome

Change in Motion

At the age of 2, Blake’s doctor told his parents that their child would likely never be able to walk. Blake has no lower legs but today he is one of the fastest paralympic runners in the world. In our conversation, Blake talks about how he was questioning life until he realised that he was responsible for finding the strength to achieve his dreams.

We talk about what it was like to compete in a sold-out stadium of 85.000 people, most of whom were cheering for his opponent Oscar Pistorius. We also talk about what led him to alcohol and drug abuse, losing his sponsors and a sense of his identity - and how he was eventually able to turn his life around.
Trigger Warning: There is brief mention of Blake’s addiction to alcohol and drugs.

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Blake’s documentary was released in June 2023 and is called “Abled: The Blake Leeper Story”.

Blake’s film “Hollywood Twist” will be coming out in December 2023.

You can follow Blake on Instagram (@leepster) and Twitter (@Blake_Leeper). To book Blake as a speaker, go to his website www.leeperruns.com or contact the agency APB on their website.

Розділи

1. Opening Snippet (00:00:00)

2. Introducing Blake Leeper (00:01:24)

3. On role models (00:03:36)

4. When he knew that he wanted to become a runner (00:10:20)

5. Being different from other kids around him (00:15:53)

6. "Why Me?" is the wrong question (00:20:08)

7. On almost becoming a doctor and his parents' expectations (00:25:11)

8. Maintaining motivation between races (00:30:56)

9. Competing against Oscar Pistorius (00:35:20)

10. Tying his happiness to recognition (00:39:32)

11. Hanging around the wrong people and getting into drugs and alcohol (00:44:50)

12. "The Power of Regret" game to identify who won gold (00:50:16)

13. Setback on the journey from Paralympics to Olympics (00:57:20)

14. Misconceptions and stereotypes on disabled people (01:02:04)