Tobi Fawehinmi continues to live his American Dream in Arlington and beyond, with stellar track and field accomplishments at The University of Texas at Arlington and with Team USA at the Paralympic Games.
Fawehinmi, the son of a single mother from Nigeria, was born with shoulder dystocia. However, his disability is rarely on the forefront of his mind while competing.
'I'm an athlete, not an athlete with a disability,' Fawehinmi said. 'When I look at myself in the mirror, that's the only time I recognize that I have a disability.'
He was once reluctant to compete in Paralympic events. However, after doing research, he entered his first Paralympic track field events at the Desert Challenge Games and months later qualified for his first Paralympic Games in 2011.
Photo courtesy: UT Arlington Athletics
Earlier this year, the Summit High School graduate broke the world record for the longest triple jump among paralympic athletes with a leap of 11 inches for 50 feet at the 2016 NCAA West Preliminary Round.
Fawehinmi, a junior track and field jumper at UT Arlington, was selected for the 2016 U.S. Paralympic Track and Field Team and is currently in Rio ready to compete.
This is Fawehinmi's second time to compete in the Paralympic Games. He finished fifth in the triple jump and 10th in the long jump at the 2012 London Games.
You can catch Tobi competing tomorrow, September 14, and other Paralympic action from Rio on NBC and NBC Sports Network, with TV coverage also streamed on NBCSports.com and via the NBC Sports app (Android| iOS | Windows) on mobile devices and connected TVs. A complete schedule is also on the NBC Sports website.
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