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EAGLE MOUNTAIN — On Sept. 6, KSL.com brought you a story about Eagle Mountain resident David Blair, who had realized his Olympic dream by earning a spot on USA’s Paralympic team as a discus thrower.
Just 10 days later on Sept. 16, not only did Blair throw at the games, but he threw an astounding 64.11 meters, breaking the Olympic record, world record, and earning the gold medal in the process.
Blair, who was born with a club foot, competed against other athletes with lower-limb impairments in the Paralympic Games, but it wasn’t his disability that he was focused on, but his ability to throw the discus farther than his competitors and all who came before him.
“I knew going into the games that I had the potential to break records and earn gold,” Blair said. “I’ve had some great throws in practice, and I knew that I had some good throws in me. I spoke with my coach, and we figured out some points that I was missing in my throws, and it worked.”
After being ranked in second place behind Trinidad and Tobago's Akeem Stewart, who threw for 60.80 meters, Blair shifted into gear.
“I knew that in my third throw I needed to get a good one so I didn’t have to worry in the final round if I had the win or not, due to the fact that the athlete in first place always throws last,” he explained.
On his third throw before heading into the final round, Blair let go of his disc and said he knew that it was going far.
“As soon as I let go, I knew it was over the 61 meters that I needed to take the lead. When it landed, I saw that it landed by the world record and Olympic record lines, but I couldn’t tell if it was in front or in back of it. So, I watched the scoreboard, and knew that I had a pretty good shot at winning the gold, but nothing’s for sure until everyone has a chance to throw.”
Because of his world-record throw, Blair was now in position to watch his other competitors throw their final throws to see if he had in fact won.
“When I saw that the guy who was in second place didn't pass me up, I knew I had it, and I was able to relax and enjoy my final throw.”
And enjoy it he did.
“There were about 15,000 people in the stands cheering and chanting as I entered the ring,” he recalled. “It is a different thing going in feeling like you should win it, and then to win it, than it is to go in hoping to podium, and you pull off a surprise landing. When I knew that I had won, it felt like a huge relief.”
So how do you top throwing a world record and winning the Olympics? Blair said that he hopes to raise the bar even farther.
"The world championships are in London this summer, and I will try to raise the world record up a bit,” he said.
For now, however, he says he is enjoying life with his family, including a wife and four daughters who always knew he was a champion.
