Lex's Life
Elexis and his friend so-and-so
Elexis Gillette participated in the 2003 IBSA World Championships in Quebec, Canada. Gillette finished fifth place in his first international competition at the age of 18 years old. He then was chosen to participate in the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece. Gillette finished second in the long jump earning Team USA's first medal in track and field. His silver medal winning mark also earned Gillette a new American record which he already owned.
In 2005, Gillette was chosen to participate in the European Championships. These track and field games were held in Espoo, Finland. A combination of weather and fatigue hindered Gillette from competing to the best of his ability. He received fifth place in the long jump in that competition.
In May of 2006, he then was selected to participate in the Visa World Cup held in Manchester, England. Gillette added another medal to his collection earning silver in the long jump at that event. He then went to the United States IPC (International Paralympic Committee) World Championship trials held in Atlanta, Georgia. Gillette jumped his way in to first place earning a slot on the 2006 IPC Athletics World Championships team that went to Assen, the Netherlands. In this event, Gillette had gotten injured while competing, but he still managed to jump his way in to a second place finish winning silver.
In 2007, Gillette attended the United States Paralympic qualifiers for the ParaPan American Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He received a first place finish in the long jump earning the gold medal and a slot on the ParaPan American Games team. While at the ParaPan American Games, Gillette competed in long jump and received a third place finish in the event earning him the bronze medal.
Since then, Gillette is working towards his two goals of being the world record holder in the long jump for the blind and making the Olympic qualifying standard for long jump. He hopes to accomplish this feat of being the best long jumper for the blind at the 2008 Paralympic Games to be held in Beijing, China.
Vitals
- Name: Elexis Gillette
- Age: 23 (born Oct. 19th, 1984)
- Height: 6′2″
- Weight: 172 lbs.
Athletics
- Sports: Athletics (Track and Field)
- Sports Organization: United States Paralympic Committee
- Events: Long Jump/Triple Jump
- Class: 11 (B1 for IBSA classification)
- Paralympics participant: 2004
