Ray Martin

 

Sport: 

Track and Field

Biography:

Raymond Martin was born with Arthrogryposis, which gave him impairment in all four of his limbs. Martin has dominated the T52 class in recent years, after racing in to the spotlight in London 2012 with four gold medals from four events.

Having won two gold and two silver medals at the 2011 Parapan American Games aged just 17, his natural ability was evident.

In July 2012, one month before the start of the London Games, Martin smashed the 200m T52 world record, recording a time of 30.18 – he went on to win Paralympic gold in the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m.

At the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France, Martin became the first athlete to win five gold medals from five events, claiming titles in all distances from the 100m through to the 1,500m. In four out of five races he also broke the Championship record.

With no major events for the American in 2014, Martin still managed to lower his own 200m world record to 30.07.

Martin’s winning ways continued in 2015, starting with a world gold medal at the IPC Athletics Marathon World Championships, which took place at the Virgin London Marathon in April.

Two months later at a meeting in Arbon, Switzerland, Martin rewrote the history books once again with new world records in the 100m, 400m and 1,500m.

At the Parapan Am Games in August Martin won a hat trick of gold medals – victorious in the 100m, 400m and 1,500m. Martin won the 100m and 1,500m before heading back to the USA to race at the New York marathon, and join his father’s 50th birthday celebrations. He finished the year ranked world number one in the 100m, 400m, 800m and 1,500m and will undoubtedly be a heavy favorite at the Rio Paralympics.

Raymond currently attends the University of Illinois on an athletic scholarship and hopes to attend medical school in Portland or Seattle after undergrad.