Gold for a Friend

This post is somewhat delayed---and stolen from my sister, but I am so proud of Jeremy as well, I had to make my own post! A good family friend of ours recently competed in the paralympics in Beijing. Jeremy has had a prosthetic leg since a baby but has never let it hold him back. He was an all-district athlete in basketball, football, and track for 3 years. He had the opportunity as a 17-year old to move to Seattle and begin training, but chose to stay with his family until graduation. (when he moved to CA to train full time) So now at 21 years old, he is competing in the pentathlon and discus in Beijing. In the trials he won first in the pentathlon and was 16 points off the world record.

Jeremy is the younger brother of Caleb Campbell, who if you watch ESPN at all I am sure you have heard about him. He played football at West Point for Army, was drafted by the Lions and then the Army changed their policy and Caleb was called back to West Point the day before camp started. Both are incredible athletes and I am very proud to call them my friends.

Now for the results....(drumroll....)

WOOHOOO!!!!! Check out the new gold medalist of the pentathlon and new world record holder
Long Jump - 2nd w/ 6.4m
Discus - 1st w/ 52.3m

Shot Put - 1st w/ 14.4m

100m - 1st w/ 11.56s

400m - 1st w/ 56.39s

BEIJING, China - After falling just 16 points shy of the world record in the men's pentathlon (P44) at the Paralympic Trials in June, Jeremy Campbell (Chula Vista, Calif./Perryton, Texas) came to Beijing with a plan to break it once and for all. Tonight he succeeded - winning gold and setting a new world record with 4,662 points (4,447, previous WR).

"I've been working so hard and was nervous this morning," said an elated Campbell. "To say that I broke the world record at my first Paralympics - there aren't words to describe what I am feeling right now."

So congrats to Jeremy!

Click here for a story in The New York Times about his win!

*~*~*~ THIS JUST IN ~*~*~*

I just got off the phone with my sister and she said she talked to Caleb earlier today and Jeremy won the discus as well in the paralympics! YEAH!!!