Athlete spreads inspirational message while testing prosthetics made by OKC firm
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (KOCO) — A Paralympian training for the Olympics officially received a new set of legs that were made in Oklahoma City.
“I feel like a kid in a candy store. Like Christmas came early,” Blake Leeper said. “It’s truly amazing. I’m having a great time here.”
For this Californian, training starts now.
“Today was the first day I was able to try out the final product,” Leeper said.
He was so pleased with the product that he hit the ground running after putting on the prosthetics.
“Some of the kids were out here. I was able to race a few of them,” Leeper said. “For me, being born without legs and being disabled my whole life, I’ve been able to travel around the world and go to places where some amputees don’t have the right access to prosthetics like this.”
With the help of Scott Sabolich Prosthetics, the eight-time all-star Paralympic athlete is training for gold in Tokyo next year – following in the footsteps of “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius.
“I’ve been training for the past four years to get qualified not only for the Paralympic Games but also the Olympic Games – to be the first double-leg American amputee to do that,” Leeper said.
But the new prosthetics were made shorter for Leeper. A worldwide governing body upheld a decision that his old blades were too long and gave him a competitive advantage.
Leeper now shares his inspiring message to young Oklahomans.
“Yes, I am different. Yes, I may be disabled, but I was telling them earlier that the only true disability in my life is a bad attitude,” he said. “It’s important for me to run in the Olympics, of course. I want to go win medals and break more world records, but moments like those when I can have a real, straightforward conversation with the future generation and to say never give up on your dreams and keep fighting, that’s what it’s all about.”
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