Blake Leeper: “I really wanted to get faster.”
Clip: Season 1 | 3m 17sVideo has Closed Captions
Blake Leeper wants to win, and he warns folks not to “judge a book by its cover.”
Blake Leeper wasn’t satisfied with the silver medal he won at last year’s Parapan American Games. He wanted to run faster, and after that competition, he tells MEDAL QUEST, he worked with his prosthetist to make running legs that fit him just perfect.”
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Funding for MEDAL QUEST is provided by Bruce C., Conner, Alex, and Lynn Bay Dayton, the Gordon and Llura Gund Foundation, No Limits Media, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS Viewers.
Blake Leeper: “I really wanted to get faster.”
Clip: Season 1 | 3m 17sVideo has Closed Captions
Blake Leeper wasn’t satisfied with the silver medal he won at last year’s Parapan American Games. He wanted to run faster, and after that competition, he tells MEDAL QUEST, he worked with his prosthetist to make running legs that fit him just perfect.”
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
How to Watch Medal Quest
Medal Quest is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
At the Sochi Games
Relive the glory at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Read game recaps and browse photos of Team USA as it vies for a gold-medal victory.Providing Support for PBS.org
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Clip: S1 | 3m 33s | Team USA athletes call the London Games “the best experience in my life.” (3m 33s)
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Clip: S1 | 3m 58s | A London first: Sisters Tatyana and Hannah McFadden compete head-to-head in the 100m. (3m 58s)
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Clip: S1 | 3m 21s | Dr. Cheri Blauwet, 7-time Paralympic medalist, on athlete injuries and doping controls. (3m 21s)
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Clip: S1 | 4m 16s | Jeff Fabry and Matt Stutzman on the mental toughness it takes to medal in Para-Archery. (4m 16s)
“I take a lot of pride in the uniform I wear.”
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Clip: S1 | 3m 8s | Brad Snyder, injured in Afghanistan, says the Paralympics is his way “to keep serving.” (3m 8s)
“We knew they were going to fight”
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Clip: S1 | 3m 52s | Laying it all on the line in the men’s wheelchair basketball bronze match: US v. Britain. (3m 52s)
“You see some decent injuries out there”
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Clip: S1 | 3m 30s | Wheelchair rugby is played by quadriplegics in armored chairs - and Team USA plays to win. (3m 30s)
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Clip: S1 | 3m 48s | Less than 11 seconds determines who can call himself the fastest man at the 2012 Games. (3m 48s)
Allison Jones: "When the crowd got louder, it fueled me.”
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Clip: S1 | 3m 30s | Racing on the first day of the London Games, Allison Jones won Team USA’s first medal. (3m 30s)
Rudy Garcia-Tolson: “I set a goal last year.”
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Clip: S1 | 3m 21s | Rudy Garcia-Tolson set a goal: to compete in both track and swimming at the Paralympics. (3m 21s)
Now PlayingBlake Leeper: “I really wanted to get faster.”
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Clip: S1 | 3m 17s | Blake Leeper wants to win, and he warns folks not to “judge a book by its cover.” (3m 17s)
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Clip: S1 | 3m 37s | Myles Porter and Dartanyon Crockett, Team USA judokas, on a day they’ll never forget. (3m 37s)
Sitting Volleyball: “China is our toughest rival”
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Clip: S1 | 3m 56s | The US and China have been rivals in women's sitting volleyball since Beijing 2008. (3m 56s)
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Clip: S1 | 3m 59s | In their first match in London, U.S. women’s goalball team faced a tough Swedish team. (3m 59s)
Classification: Unique To Paralympic Sport
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Clip: S1 | 3m 1s | The goal: a level playing field so athletes win because they train and compete hardest. (3m 1s)
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Clip: S1 | 3m 14s | Team USA knows the competition is tough: “Everyone is as motivated as they’ve ever been.“ (3m 14s)
“The Gun Just Became Part of My Body”
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Clip: S1 | 3m 58s | Shooter Eric Hollen competes against the world’s best, with and without disabilities. (3m 58s)
Dartanyon Crockett: "I set my mind on one goal."
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Clip: S1 | 3m 3s | In his first Paralympics, wrestler Dartanyon Crockett wants to “leave it all on the mat.” (3m 3s)
Jessica Long: 'To be the best, you make sacrifices.'
Clip: S1 | 3m 23s | As a child, Jessica Long was first in the pool, last out. Result: 7 gold medals, so far. (3m 23s)
Sabra Hawkes: "I always wanted to be an athlete."
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Clip: S1 | 3m 3s | Sprinter Sabra Hawkes says training is a joy: "I just like to run so much." (3m 3s)
Russell Wolfe: "I can represent my country again."
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Clip: S1 | 3m 9s | Veteran Russell Wolfe has a new way to represent the USA – in Paralympic archery. (3m 9s)
Ileana Rodriguez: "I’m asking you to swim!"
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Clip: S1 | 3m 15s | Ileana Rodriguez remembers the coach who looked past her disability and saw an athlete. (3m 15s)
Wendy Fryke: "You’re trying to hit that perfect mark."
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Clip: S1 | 3m 31s | Equestrian Wendy Fryke describes her sport. (3m 31s)
Rudy Garcia-Tolson: "I’m enjoying every moment."
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Clip: S1 | 3m 7s | Swimmer Rudy Garcia-Tolson looks at the Paralympics as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. (3m 7s)
"The Stakes are Definitely Higher with Athletes"
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Clip: S1 | 4m 5s | Prosthetist Shane Ryley highlights the high-performance limbs that revolutionized sports. (4m 5s)
Chris Ahrens: "We had to win!"
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Clip: S1 | 3m 13s | It took an upset victory against a great team for Soccer-7-1-side to qualify. (3m 13s)
Jeff Fabry: "like a robot shooting the bow"
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Clip: S1 | 3m 5s | Archer Jeff Fabry shows the “constant routine” he uses to perfect his shots. (3m 5s)
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Clip: S1 | 3m 55s | The U.S. men’s sitting volleyball team recall the 2011 Parapan American championship match (3m 55s)
TITANIUM CHAIRS AND CHEETAH LEGS
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Clip: S1 | 3m 43s | Paralympians show off the high-tech wizardry that is part of today’s elite competition. (3m 43s)
Katy Sullivan: "London is everything!"
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Clip: S1 | 4m 7s | Katy Sullivan didn’t go to the 2008 Games due to injuries. “Now, London is everything!" (4m 7s)
2012 WARRIOR GAMES: "Fighting it out - with love!"
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Clip: S1 | 3m 20s | Paralympic athletes say it’s "humbling" to be mentors to veterans in the Warrior Games. (3m 20s)
Lex Gillette: “I get to my 16th step and I jump.”
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Clip: S1 | 3m 9s | Meet Lex Gillette, Track and Field athlete in long jump, triple jump, 100m and 200m races. (3m 9s)
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Clip: S1 | 3m 32s | Goalball players explain skills and strategies that win medals for the US women's team. (3m 32s)
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Clip: S1 | 3m 5s | Athletes from a range of sports agree: "It all comes down to heart." (3m 5s)
Alana Nichols: “My competitive spirit kicked in.”
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Clip: S1 | 2m 46s | Alana Nichols is the first woman to win gold in both the Summer and Winter Paralympics. (2m 46s)
Mackenzie Soldan: “Everyone was cheering!”
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Clip: S1 | 3m 29s | Mackenzie Soldan of wheelchair tennis on winning at the Parapan American Games. (3m 29s)
Paul Schulte: “And we shoot 3-pointers, too!”
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Clip: S1 | 2m 28s | Paul Schulte of wheelchair basketball answers the questions everyone asks about his sport (2m 28s)
Blake Leeper: "I want to beat him. Point. Blank. Period!"
Clip: S1 | 2m 34s | Blake Leeper talks about the intense level of competition in Paralympic sports. (2m 34s)
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Clip: S1 | 2m 59s | Allison Jones tells the story of how she came to Paralympic cycling. (2m 59s)
Myles Porter: "Part rival, part respect"
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Clip: S1 | 2m 37s | Myles Porter talks about his judo rival, and about what drives him to compete. (2m 37s)
Kortney Clemons: A Veteran's Journey
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Clip: S1 | 2m 29s | U.S. Army veteran Kortney Clemons talks about the IED that took his right leg. (2m 29s)
"My goal - gold for my country!"
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Clip: S1 | 7m 19s | MEDAL QUEST kicks off with an introduction to the elite athletes of the Paralympic Games. (7m 19s)
Greta Neimanas: "Training is a full time job, 24/7"
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Clip: S1 | 2m 20s | Paralympic cyclist Greta Neimanas takes us through her tough training for the Games. (2m 20s)
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Support for PBS provided by:
Funding for MEDAL QUEST is provided by Bruce C., Conner, Alex, and Lynn Bay Dayton, the Gordon and Llura Gund Foundation, No Limits Media, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS Viewers.