TALBOT Taylor

Classification
T13, F13 (IPC, 16 Aug 2021)

Type of Impairment
Vision impairment (malheurenterprise.com, 02 Jul 2019)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (malheurenterprise.com, 02 Jul 2019)

Impairment Details
She lost her vision at age eight. (malheurenterprise.com, 02 Jul 2019)

General
RUNNING BLIND
She uses other cues while she is competing to make up for her vision impairment. "When I'm on the block, I've got my head down. I can only see the colour of the track and can't see the lines. I can only hear and feel things, it's like having tunnel vision. I don't think I ever see the finish line in a race. Most of the time I just feel it, there's like the corner of the finish line, or sometimes I hear it when the crowd cheers and gets loud. For the long jump, I already have my steps measured. I have to figure out my mark on the runway, so I make sure I'm right in the middle. I run down the runway and count my steps and jump. Honestly, I can't see the board either. All I can see is the colour of the sky, so I'll take seven strides. Sometimes I'm right on or way behind." (malheurenterprise.com, 02 Jul 2019)

ANNOUNCEMENT ERROR
She was the final name to be announced on the United States of America team for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, only to be told the next day that her inclusion was an error. She was later reinstated, first as an alternate and then via a direct invite. "The committee said they had made a mathematical error and I was not on the team. In one moment, they crushed my dream. I was embarrassed and very hurt by the mistake they made. I didn't know I'd qualify for Tokyo, be taken off the team the next day, become first alternate, and then make the team again. I couldn't have gotten through this without my God, my friends, family, teammates, and the thousands of people I didn't even know who sent up prayers for me. The IPC gave me a direct invitation to compete at the Games by giving the US one more slot." (easternoregonsports.com, 02 Jul 2021; Instagram profile, 19 Jul 2021)