In the athletic world, several blind and visually impaired athletes refused to let their blindness limit them from achieving their dreams. They have been able to shine and won several medals in the Paralympics.

Here are some of the famous visually impaired and blind athletes:

Marla Runyan

Marla Runyan lost her eyesight at the age of 9 when she suffered from Stargardt’s disease. This did not stop her from following her dream of becoming an athlete.

In 1992, she won the 4 gold medals during the summer Paralympics and in 1996; she won silver in the Paralympics as well. Her career as a world-class athlete began in 1999 when she participated in the Pan American Games and won.

She has participated in 5000m and 10, 000m championships and won several times. She married her coach Matt Lonergan in 2002.

Anthony Clarke

Anthony Clarke became blind in 1978 when he was involved in a car accident. After his rehabilitation, he was able to get his life back.

Anthony Clarke is an Australian athlete who won a gold medal in the Paralympics. He has participated in 5 Paralympics judo games where he has competed against renowned athletes.

Henry Wanyoike

Henry Wanyoike is a Kenyan athlete who is among the world’s fastest runners. His blindness was as a result of stroke where he slept and woke up blind.

Following his rehabilitation, he was able to regain his self-confidence and in 2000, he won his first gold medal in Sydney’s Paralympics.

He is able to participate in 5000m, 10,000m, and 1500m races where he has won several medals. In 2005, he set the world record for blind runners which still stand to date.

Trischa Zorn

Trischa Zorn is a professional swimmer who has been blind since birth. She has participated in several Paralympic swimming competitions and has won over 50 medals.

Today, she is among the best athletes in the Paralympics and has received several honors. When participating in the Sydney Games, she set 8 world records in swimming.

Trischa holds the world records for getting the most medals in a single sport and breaking the most records. She did not allow her blindness to stop her from achieving her dreams of being a professional swimmer.