Blake Leeper (born Patrick Blake Leeper, August 31, 1989) is a United States Paralympic athlete who specialised in sprint events typically in the T43, T44 and T62 classifications. He is a multiple medalist in both the Paralympics and World Championships. He is also a former world record holder in the 400m and three-time American record holder.[2]
 Leeper (left) at the 2012 Paralympics Men's 400m T44 victory ceremony. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Birth name | Patrick Blake Leeper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | August 31, 1989 (age 35)[1] Kingsport, Tennessee, USA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life
editPatrick Blake Leeper was born in Kingsport, Tennessee with a congenital defect insufficiently formed lower legs ultimately resulting with a double below-the-knee amputation at the age of four.[3]
Athletics career
editLeeper made his international debut in 2009 at Rio de Janeiro.[citation needed] In 2011 he won a silver medal in the World Championships 4 × 100 m relay T42–46 classification with a time of 42.84.[citation needed] In the 2012 Paralympic Games, he won an individual silver medal in the 400 meter T44 event and a bronze medal in the 200m T44 event with a time of 22.46.[4]
Leeper served a competition ban from 2015 to 2017 for an anti-doping regulation violation after testing positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine. It was determined that the use of cocaine was "not intended to enhance performance" which resulted in a reduced sanction period.[5] Although the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency had reduced the initial two year ban to one year due to a settlement agreement, a subsequent ruling confirmed that the International Paralympic Committee had no obligation to recognsise the agreement, which it did not. Therefore Leeper was ineligible for Rio 2016.
In July 2016, Leeper set an American record in the 400-metre race with a time of 46.54 seconds.[6]
Leeper returned to competition at the U.S. Track & Field Championships in 2017, becoming the first double-leg amputee to compete at the event.[citation needed] He set a new world record in the 400m T43 classification in a time of 45.25.[7]
Although Leeper was chosen by the US Paralympics to represent Team USA in Rio 2016, he did participate in the tournament.[8]
Leeper placed fourth in the men's 400m T62 final in a personal best time of 47.32 at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris.[9]
Prosthetics eligibility in World Athletics
editIn October 2020 Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed Leeper's appeal to run with in major World Athletics events (including the Olympic Games) with his prosthetic legs.[10] He can wear them in other International Competitions although his results will be listed separately and not recognized.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b "LEEPER Blake". Athlete Biographies. paralympic.org. Archived from the original on January 19, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- ^ insidequest (September 8, 2016). "Adversity, Redemption, and Becoming the Fastest Man Alive – Blake Leeper". inside Quest. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
- ^ Stone, Ken (July 10, 2023). "Too-Tall Tale: How Blake Leeper Lost His Olympic Shot But Changed World Rules". The Times of San Diego. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ Bensch, Bob (September 8, 2012). "Pistorius Wins 400 Meters for First Paralympics Individual Gold". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
- ^ "Paralympic sprint medallist Blake Leeper banned for doping violation". Athletics Weekly. February 2, 2016. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ Steve Milton (July 3, 2016). "Patrick Blake Leeper sets a new record". The Hamilton Spectator. The Hamilton. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
- ^ "American Blake Leeper breaks Oscar Pistorius record in 400 metres". June 24, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ David McAvoy (June 2, 2016). "Blake Leeper named to Team USA Paralympic team". WJHL. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
- ^ Williams, Heather (September 8, 2024). "Kingsport native Leeper is 4th in Paralympic 400 M". WYCB. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ "Blake Leeper: Paralympian loses Cas appeal to use prosthetics for Olympic qualification". BBC News. October 26, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ "World Athletics panel decision on application from Blake Leeper | PRESS-RELEASES | World Athletics".