The dream come true moments continue to pile up for The University of Texas at Arlington graduate Tobi Fawehinmi.On Monday, July 17, 2017, at the World Para Athletics Championships in London, Fawehinmi won the T47 triple jump, the first world title of his career.
His season-best mark of 14.88 meters was more than one meter farther than his next closest competitor.
Fawehinmi, the son of a single mother from Nigeria, was born with shoulder dystocia. However, he told MyArlingtonTVin September 2016 that 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."
In the T47 triple jump, Fawehinmi convincingly jumped to the first world title of his career. Photo credit: Getty Images
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.
In 2016, the Summit High School graduate broke the world record for the longest triple jump among paralympic athletes with a leap of 11 ½ inches for 50 feet at the 2016 NCAA West Preliminary Round.
As a junior at UT Arlington, Fawehinmi was selected for the 2016 U.S. Paralympic Track and Field Team in Rio, where he placed fifth in the triple jump.
This was 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.
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