A Bright Star in the Long Jump

Imagine running down a track at full-speed and jumping into the long jump pit. Now, imagine doing so blind. That’s just what Lex Gillette, a blind Paralympic Track & Field World Champion, does as he competes. Lex lost his vision around the age of 7; after a number of surgeries to try to correct a recurrent retinal detachment, he had to accept that he would never see — and had to figure out how to move on from there. He’s moved on, and he moves fast and jumps far. Today, he shares how he got involved in track and field, how his mom helped make him an independent person despite his impairment, and how a simple product like P&G’s Tide Pods improved his life.

Q&A with Lex Gillette

How did you get into long jump? One of my high school teachers inspired me to pursue the long jump. We had a nationwide fitness test at school, and all of the kids were asked to do as many push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups as they could. One of the other activities was long jump and I was one of the better jumpers in my school. My teacher asked me if I had heard of track and field, and he taught me everything about the sport. I gravitated towards the long jump because I loved jumping. We figured out ways to adapt the long jump so I would be able to compete. My coach stood up by the board and clapped to that let me know which direction I needed to run and jump. It became something I loved doing because it gave me a sense of freedom.

What is your training like? Some days you get really excited about going out there and training; while other days are tough. Ultimately, you have to stay focused on your goal. When I first started track and field, my goal was the Paralympics and getting to the podium. While I was training, the goal of the Paralympics was always in the back of my mind. Continuing to focus on my goals keeps me going.

Have you always seen yourself as an athlete? No. Growing up I wanted to be a writer or a lawyer. Before I lost my sight, I played recreational baseball and basketball. After I lost my sight, I didn’t really know what I was going to do. I was trying to find something that allowed me to regain a “normal lifestyle.” When I was introduced to track and field in high school, I really saw myself becoming an athlete.

Can you describe a difficult time/event you’ve been through and how your mom helped you? In college, the biggest adjustment I had to overcome was feeling socially awkward. I didn’t have someone to dictate things for me the way I had when I was growing up. It was hard for me to step out of my shell, and take the initiative to be a young adult.

I’m very lucky that throughout my life, my mom prepared me to be in a college setting. Her goal for me was to be as independent as possible. She taught me everything, from being able to get off the bus and walk to the house by myself, to taking out the trash, washing dishes, and even doing my own laundry.

She also encouraged me to communicate with more than one-word answers so that people know how I feel and how they can help me.

What’s the best piece of advice that your mother has ever given you? “Shoot for the stars.” I started believing in that. A lot of people know about my athletic achievements, but for me, a lot of the credit goes to my mother and how she raised me. Her biggest lesson was independence. She taught me to do things on my own so I don’t have to worry about depending on people to do things for me.

I always called my mom’s lessons on independence “boot camp.” When I was younger I had to cook my own food and wash the dishes. If I didn’t do it right, I would have to do it over.

My mother always reminded me that even though I couldn’t see, society judges a book by its cover. She believes that appearance is important, and she always wanted me to look my best. She always made sure I looked nice which started the process of her teaching me how to wash and iron my clothes. All of those lessons have made life a lot easier for me.

What are a few ways that you have you made tasks around the house easier? My mom knows I’m always on the go. A couple of years ago she told me about Tide Pods and those have really helped me out. Now after training sessions, I go to the laundry room, place a Tide Pod in the machine and then put my clothes into the washing machine.

I know that when my clothes are washed, I can trust that they’re clean. Those types of tips from my mom have helped me get to this point in my life. The independence my mom taught me has benefited me in many areas of my life, especially athletics.

Anything else you’d like to add? And any predictions for Rio? A few years back, I was in a place in my life where I was trying to figure out where I wanted to go, how much longer I was going to do Paralympics, and just thinking about life in general.

I came up with this slogan “there’s no need for sight when you have a vision.” The slogan meant that sight wasn’t the determining factor in whether I was going to be successful or not. My vision, my goals and aspirations would lead me to success. My mom and my coach had a vision for me and believed in me. That caused me to believe in myself. Now my dreams are becoming a reality.

As for predictions for Rio, I have a challenge with Kerry Walsh Jennings. My challenge to her is to win her fourth gold, and she told me I have to win gold but I also have to long jump 24 feet. In Rio, not only do I need to win gold, I need to jump 24 feet!

A big thanks to Lex for answering our questions. We hope you hit that 24 feet! —Erin