#232: Running blind and shifting the way that we look at what we can and can't do - Paralympian Jason Smyth
Update: 2025-07-26
Description
In this episode of Martial Attitude Voice, we sit down with Jason Smyth, the Irish sprint legend often called the world’s fastest Paralympian. Born with Stargardt’s disease, Jason has competed at the highest levels of both para and non-para athletics, holding world records in the 100m and 200m sprints despite relying almost entirely on blurred peripheral vision.
Jason shares how sport became both an escape and a path to self-acceptance, why he once struggled to embrace para sport, and how he learned to “feel” his performance when seeing it wasn’t an option. We also explore the power of touch exchange, the idea that movement, presence, and contact are their own language, and how it shaped Jason’s journey on the track and on Dancing with the Stars.
Whether you’re interested in adaptive sport, coaching, or the deeper experience of living in a visually driven world, Jason’s perspective is a reminder that our limitations often reveal unexpected strengths.
Jason shares how sport became both an escape and a path to self-acceptance, why he once struggled to embrace para sport, and how he learned to “feel” his performance when seeing it wasn’t an option. We also explore the power of touch exchange, the idea that movement, presence, and contact are their own language, and how it shaped Jason’s journey on the track and on Dancing with the Stars.
Whether you’re interested in adaptive sport, coaching, or the deeper experience of living in a visually driven world, Jason’s perspective is a reminder that our limitations often reveal unexpected strengths.
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