1
00:00:02,402 --> 00:00:02,736
(claps)

2
00:00:02,769 --> 00:00:03,169
Hey, everybody.

3
00:00:03,236 --> 00:00:05,305
I’m gonna be training,

4
00:00:05,372 --> 00:00:10,043
trying to get to the 2020
of the Paralympics in Tokyo.

5
00:00:10,076 --> 00:00:10,910
It’s just the beginning.

6
00:00:10,944 --> 00:00:12,645
I’ll be 15, be pretty young,

7
00:00:12,679 --> 00:00:14,481
but I’m gonna work.

8
00:00:14,514 --> 00:00:16,216
(soft, tense music)

9
00:00:16,282 --> 00:00:17,650
(grunts)

10
00:00:17,717 --> 00:00:19,486
♪

11
00:00:19,519 --> 00:00:21,688
(rain pattering)

12
00:00:21,755 --> 00:00:27,193
♪

13
00:00:27,260 --> 00:00:30,330
(male announcer)
Back to the men’s high jump,
T63.

14
00:00:30,397 --> 00:00:32,108
(female announcer)
Phil, the rain is
really coming down.

15
00:00:32,132 --> 00:00:36,302
You can see the pools of water
on this track.

16
00:00:36,369 --> 00:00:38,672
(male announcer)
So, 16-year-old Ezra Frech

17
00:00:38,705 --> 00:00:41,074
is still in the thick of things
in the high jump,

18
00:00:41,107 --> 00:00:44,644
and his family is looking on.

19
00:00:44,678 --> 00:00:46,279
You got this!

20
00:00:47,547 --> 00:00:49,291
(male announcer)
First attempt for Ezra Frech

21
00:00:49,315 --> 00:00:53,253
with the bar up
at six feet even, 1 meter 83.

22
00:00:53,286 --> 00:00:55,989
Five athletes have come
to this height.

23
00:00:56,022 --> 00:00:58,224
Here comes Ezra Frech’s
first attempt,

24
00:00:58,258 --> 00:00:59,526
and down goes the bar.

25
00:00:59,559 --> 00:01:02,429
So, he still has
two more chances at this height.

26
00:01:02,495 --> 00:01:04,297
♪

27
00:01:04,364 --> 00:01:06,633
(Ezra)
I was so prepared.

28
00:01:06,700 --> 00:01:08,411
It was gonna be the moment
that I had been waiting for

29
00:01:08,435 --> 00:01:09,302
for so long.

30
00:01:09,336 --> 00:01:11,438
I wanna go to the Paralympics
some day.

31
00:01:11,471 --> 00:01:13,006
Oh yeah, I wanna go
to the Paralympics.

32
00:01:13,073 --> 00:01:16,076
The 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

33
00:01:16,142 --> 00:01:18,178
I wanted to go out there
and win a medal in Tokyo.

34
00:01:18,211 --> 00:01:19,522
I wanted to go out there
and show the world

35
00:01:19,546 --> 00:01:21,381
that I wasn’t just
a little kid anymore.

36
00:01:21,414 --> 00:01:23,283
I had grown up, I had matured,

37
00:01:23,350 --> 00:01:24,818
I had worked really hard.

38
00:01:24,851 --> 00:01:28,488
(male announcer)
All right, second chance
for the 16-year-old Ezra Frech.

39
00:01:28,555 --> 00:01:30,657
♪

40
00:01:30,690 --> 00:01:32,058
God!

41
00:01:32,092 --> 00:01:34,027
Before I took that third jump,
I said,

42
00:01:34,060 --> 00:01:36,830
"Nothing matters, at this point.

43
00:01:36,896 --> 00:01:38,732
Take everything you’ve learned

44
00:01:38,765 --> 00:01:41,134
and produce one perfect jump."

45
00:01:41,201 --> 00:01:42,535
That’s all I needed.

46
00:01:42,569 --> 00:01:44,137
♪

47
00:01:44,170 --> 00:01:46,373
Let’s get one perfect jump.

48
00:01:46,439 --> 00:01:48,842
♪

49
00:01:48,908 --> 00:01:51,444
One jump for eternity.

50
00:01:51,478 --> 00:01:52,278
(male announcer)
For Ezra Frech,

51
00:01:52,312 --> 00:01:55,048
his third attempt
at this height.

52
00:01:55,081 --> 00:01:56,583
The 16-year-old
needs the clearance

53
00:01:56,616 --> 00:01:59,285
to get up and over the bar here.

54
00:01:59,319 --> 00:02:00,720
(Ezra)
I’m rising up,

55
00:02:00,754 --> 00:02:02,022
I’m floating over the bar.

56
00:02:02,055 --> 00:02:04,024
I rotate, I land
on the opposite shoulder.

57
00:02:04,090 --> 00:02:05,425
I cleared the bar.

58
00:02:05,492 --> 00:02:07,127
I jump up...

59
00:02:07,193 --> 00:02:08,762
(music stops abruptly)

60
00:02:08,795 --> 00:02:10,697
and there’s a red flag,

61
00:02:10,764 --> 00:02:11,598
and the bar’s down.

62
00:02:11,631 --> 00:02:13,867
(Clayton cries out)

63
00:02:13,900 --> 00:02:16,503
(pensive music)

64
00:02:16,569 --> 00:02:18,638
♪

65
00:02:18,705 --> 00:02:20,607
I literally had
the perfect jump.

66
00:02:20,640 --> 00:02:21,908
Why is the bar down?

67
00:02:21,975 --> 00:02:23,810
♪

68
00:02:23,877 --> 00:02:25,045
The blade clipped the bar,

69
00:02:25,078 --> 00:02:27,614
and I didn’t even feel it!

70
00:02:27,647 --> 00:02:30,750
And I’m out,
I’m out of the competition.

71
00:02:30,784 --> 00:02:32,352
In fifth place.

72
00:02:32,419 --> 00:02:33,796
(male announcer)
So, in his first
Paralympic Games

73
00:02:33,820 --> 00:02:35,355
at just 16 years old,

74
00:02:35,422 --> 00:02:37,991
Ezra Frech finishes fifth.

75
00:02:38,058 --> 00:02:40,060
We may see him
for two more decades

76
00:02:40,093 --> 00:02:41,928
at the Paralympic Games.

77
00:02:41,961 --> 00:02:44,230
(Ezra)
I look over to my left,

78
00:02:44,264 --> 00:02:49,269
and it was all of the medalists
taking a photo.

79
00:02:49,302 --> 00:02:51,638
They were all standing there
with their flags,

80
00:02:51,671 --> 00:02:53,340
hands up in the air.

81
00:02:53,406 --> 00:02:55,308
I just took it in.

82
00:02:55,375 --> 00:02:58,378
I said, "Never again.

83
00:02:58,445 --> 00:03:00,747
Never again will I allow myself
to feel like this."

84
00:03:00,780 --> 00:03:01,881
So, now...

85
00:03:04,017 --> 00:03:06,052
it’s my screensaver.

86
00:03:06,119 --> 00:03:07,153
"Never again."

87
00:03:07,220 --> 00:03:08,588
Right there.

88
00:03:08,655 --> 00:03:10,690
♪

89
00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:18,074
Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE
www.osdb.link/lm

90
00:03:22,402 --> 00:03:25,572
♪

91
00:03:25,605 --> 00:03:27,707
You know, it’s been
a lifelong dream of mine

92
00:03:27,774 --> 00:03:29,609
to come out here.

93
00:03:29,642 --> 00:03:32,412
Been a lifelong dream
to get on that podium, I...

94
00:03:32,479 --> 00:03:34,414
Remember this moment, and, uh,

95
00:03:34,481 --> 00:03:35,849
this won’t happen again.

96
00:03:35,915 --> 00:03:41,187
♪

97
00:03:41,287 --> 00:03:44,157
(intense music)

98
00:03:44,190 --> 00:03:45,592
The Paralympics
is the highest-level

99
00:03:45,658 --> 00:03:47,227
sporting competition
on the planet

100
00:03:47,293 --> 00:03:48,695
for adaptive athletes

101
00:03:48,762 --> 00:03:51,064
or people
with physical disabilities.

102
00:03:51,097 --> 00:03:55,001
(Jamal)
At this level, you don’t got
time to make mistakes.

103
00:03:55,035 --> 00:03:55,869
(Ezra)
What you do in the quad,

104
00:03:55,902 --> 00:03:58,705
the four-year cycle
between Paralympic Games,

105
00:03:58,738 --> 00:04:00,807
is indicative
of who wins the golds,

106
00:04:00,874 --> 00:04:03,009
who wins the silvers,
who wins the bronzes,

107
00:04:03,043 --> 00:04:04,377
and who doesn’t win at all.

108
00:04:06,146 --> 00:04:08,048
(Courtney)
I love the competitive nature.

109
00:04:08,114 --> 00:04:09,849
I love how physical it is.

110
00:04:09,916 --> 00:04:11,027
(male announcer)
Courtney Ryan,

111
00:04:11,051 --> 00:04:12,819
uncontested and hits it.

112
00:04:12,852 --> 00:04:14,764
(male announcer)
Jamal Hill trying
to close this one out

113
00:04:14,788 --> 00:04:16,356
with an amazing time.

114
00:04:16,456 --> 00:04:17,800
(Jamal)
There’s really nothing
I can’t do.

115
00:04:17,824 --> 00:04:18,858
I’m a winner.

116
00:04:18,925 --> 00:04:21,895
(Ezra)
It’s gonna be a long, hard
road to Paris.

117
00:04:21,928 --> 00:04:23,763
But I have to get my revenge.

118
00:04:23,797 --> 00:04:28,268
(male announcer)
For Ezra Frech,
his time is now.

119
00:04:28,335 --> 00:04:29,703
(Ezra)
Whenever someone doubts me,

120
00:04:29,769 --> 00:04:32,072
that’s just more fuel
for the fire.

121
00:04:32,138 --> 00:04:33,940
(Courtney)
When you get to this level,

122
00:04:34,007 --> 00:04:35,742
it’s a different animal.

123
00:04:35,809 --> 00:04:37,219
(Josie)
There are a lot of battles
to fight,

124
00:04:37,243 --> 00:04:39,312
but it’s meaningful.

125
00:04:39,379 --> 00:04:42,215
(Jamal)
’Cause now, I’m steppin’
into my truth,

126
00:04:42,282 --> 00:04:43,817
and I’m telling my story.

127
00:04:43,883 --> 00:04:46,720
♪

128
00:04:46,753 --> 00:04:50,657
(male announcer)
Team USA wheelchair basketball
are back.

129
00:04:50,690 --> 00:04:52,692
(Ezra)
I feel like such a failure
right now.

130
00:04:52,726 --> 00:04:55,128
(male announcer)
Ezra Frech is getting
into the mix.

131
00:04:55,195 --> 00:04:58,031
(Courtney)
This is going to be one
for the history books.

132
00:04:58,064 --> 00:04:59,833
- One, two, three.
- USA!

133
00:04:59,899 --> 00:05:06,339
♪

134
00:05:06,373 --> 00:05:08,742
(engine softly rumbling)

135
00:05:11,511 --> 00:05:14,414
(Jamal)
The time is 6:41.

136
00:05:14,447 --> 00:05:17,417
We’re headed
30 miles up the road.

137
00:05:17,484 --> 00:05:19,486
Pasadena, California.

138
00:05:20,186 --> 00:05:21,821
Jewel of the Nile.

139
00:05:23,757 --> 00:05:25,877
You know, I’m not gonna lie,
dragged myself out of bed

140
00:05:25,925 --> 00:05:28,795
this morning at six
to push these 30 miles

141
00:05:28,828 --> 00:05:30,463
to get in the pool.

142
00:05:30,497 --> 00:05:32,441
And there are mornings
where I’ve done it earlier.

143
00:05:32,465 --> 00:05:34,076
There are mornings when
I’ve spent the night at the pool

144
00:05:34,100 --> 00:05:35,635
because it was (bleep) late

145
00:05:35,669 --> 00:05:37,804
and I had to be there at 5:30,

146
00:05:37,837 --> 00:05:39,706
and I knew
I was not gonna wake up,

147
00:05:39,739 --> 00:05:43,109
so, I just went
and slept in the parking lot.

148
00:05:43,143 --> 00:05:44,844
(yawns)

149
00:05:44,911 --> 00:05:45,845
To each their own.

150
00:05:45,912 --> 00:05:48,515
What works for you,
works for you.

151
00:05:48,581 --> 00:05:50,784
Don’t judge the process.

152
00:05:52,419 --> 00:05:53,653
Just in general, man.

153
00:05:53,687 --> 00:05:55,889
Don’t waste your life

154
00:05:55,955 --> 00:05:57,991
tying to do what the (bleep)
someone is telling you

155
00:05:58,024 --> 00:06:00,326
you need to do for your life,
trust me.

156
00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:01,661
They might know something,

157
00:06:01,728 --> 00:06:03,363
but one thing they don’t know

158
00:06:03,430 --> 00:06:04,931
is what it’s like to be you.

159
00:06:10,837 --> 00:06:11,905
Ready?

160
00:06:13,740 --> 00:06:14,808
Go!

161
00:06:16,142 --> 00:06:17,177
(exhales deeply)

162
00:06:21,214 --> 00:06:25,919
(Jamal)
So, my coach, Wilma Wong,
has been...

163
00:06:25,985 --> 00:06:27,663
I just gotta give credit
where credit is due, man.

164
00:06:27,687 --> 00:06:29,489
Instrumental, you know?

165
00:06:29,522 --> 00:06:31,491
There’s no way
that Jamal is sitting here

166
00:06:31,558 --> 00:06:34,060
as a bronze medalist
without Wilma Wong.

167
00:06:36,663 --> 00:06:38,231
(Wilma)
I think of myself more

168
00:06:38,264 --> 00:06:45,772
as a mental performance coach/
healer/swim coach/engineer.

169
00:06:45,805 --> 00:06:49,776
I feel like I’m engineering
his body to be the best,

170
00:06:49,809 --> 00:06:52,278
so that when
he’s on the big stage,

171
00:06:52,345 --> 00:06:54,347
the big competitions,

172
00:06:54,381 --> 00:06:57,283
he’s able to do really well.

173
00:06:57,350 --> 00:06:59,652
(Jamal)
Where we met each other
at that point of our lives,

174
00:06:59,719 --> 00:07:01,521
we were both
looking for a partner,

175
00:07:01,588 --> 00:07:05,025
and with that
came a lot of trust.

176
00:07:05,091 --> 00:07:08,461
(ambient music)

177
00:07:08,495 --> 00:07:10,063
When I was growing up,

178
00:07:10,096 --> 00:07:12,265
I knew I wasn’t normal,

179
00:07:12,332 --> 00:07:15,101
but I didn’t have
a name to put to it.

180
00:07:15,168 --> 00:07:17,470
♪

181
00:07:17,537 --> 00:07:19,739
I leave college
after my junior year.

182
00:07:19,773 --> 00:07:23,510
I’m this unknown, unranked,

183
00:07:23,543 --> 00:07:27,480
Division III, you know,
C-class athlete,

184
00:07:27,547 --> 00:07:32,619
and I got this crazy dream
of making an Olympic team.

185
00:07:32,686 --> 00:07:34,387
I’m working with Olympians
every day,

186
00:07:34,454 --> 00:07:35,855
Olympic coaches every day.

187
00:07:35,922 --> 00:07:37,424
I’m training with Ryan Lochte,

188
00:07:37,490 --> 00:07:40,527
and I’m right there in the mix.

189
00:07:40,593 --> 00:07:42,762
(onlooker)
Come on, Jamal!

190
00:07:42,829 --> 00:07:44,407
(Wilma)
The biggest thing
I noticed about Jamal

191
00:07:44,431 --> 00:07:46,599
was that he was
getting out of the pool

192
00:07:46,666 --> 00:07:48,601
different than everybody else.

193
00:07:48,668 --> 00:07:51,838
He was getting out
like he was a paraplegic.

194
00:07:51,905 --> 00:07:54,307
♪

195
00:07:54,374 --> 00:07:55,875
And I remember, like, whoa,

196
00:07:55,942 --> 00:07:58,111
there’s something
he’s not telling me.

197
00:08:03,283 --> 00:08:06,386
("Flower Duet" from Lakmé)

198
00:08:06,419 --> 00:08:09,823
(women singing operatic French)

199
00:08:09,856 --> 00:08:12,625
(Courtney)
Wheelchair basketball,

200
00:08:12,659 --> 00:08:14,459
it’s almost like
you’re choreographing a dance

201
00:08:14,494 --> 00:08:17,564
with your teammates.

202
00:08:17,597 --> 00:08:21,501
There is beauty
in the smooth nature

203
00:08:21,568 --> 00:08:23,370
of the sport.

204
00:08:23,403 --> 00:08:25,238
(buzzer sounds)

205
00:08:25,271 --> 00:08:27,273
(whistle blows)

206
00:08:27,307 --> 00:08:28,775
(yelling, chairs rolling)

207
00:08:28,808 --> 00:08:30,510
But you hear how loud it is,

208
00:08:30,543 --> 00:08:32,846
there’s banging of metal.

209
00:08:32,879 --> 00:08:36,616
Like, it’s such
a physical sport.

210
00:08:36,649 --> 00:08:39,152
There’s something
really beautiful about it.

211
00:08:46,026 --> 00:08:49,562
I’ve been number 55
since college,

212
00:08:49,596 --> 00:08:52,032
so, it turned into Lady Nickels,

213
00:08:52,065 --> 00:08:55,101
and I’ve been Lady Nickels
ever since.

214
00:08:55,201 --> 00:08:57,013
(man)
Josie, do you call her
"Lady Nickels," ever?

215
00:08:57,037 --> 00:08:58,905
Absolutely not.

216
00:08:58,938 --> 00:09:00,907
That would bring her
way too much joy.

217
00:09:01,007 --> 00:09:02,509
(Courtney)
She calls me Queen Courts.

218
00:09:02,542 --> 00:09:04,177
I... nope.

219
00:09:04,210 --> 00:09:07,080
- Lady Buckets?
- Absolutely not.

220
00:09:07,113 --> 00:09:08,448
It’s a good nickname.

221
00:09:08,481 --> 00:09:09,783
(Josie)
Like, actually...

222
00:09:09,816 --> 00:09:11,751
like, you’re not even,
like, joking with me.

223
00:09:11,851 --> 00:09:14,421
(Courtney)
No, I’m not even joking.

224
00:09:14,454 --> 00:09:15,855
It’s unique.

225
00:09:15,889 --> 00:09:16,956
(giggles)

226
00:09:19,225 --> 00:09:22,128
(gentle music)

227
00:09:22,162 --> 00:09:23,930
♪

228
00:09:23,963 --> 00:09:27,600
You know, we really developed
a friendship over time.

229
00:09:29,102 --> 00:09:32,405
We hung out a lot
and had a lot of fun.

230
00:09:32,439 --> 00:09:34,808
♪

231
00:09:34,841 --> 00:09:37,410
(Josie)
It was sometime during COVID,

232
00:09:37,510 --> 00:09:39,579
but it was sort of, like,
obvious

233
00:09:39,612 --> 00:09:43,383
that we liked spending
all of our time together.

234
00:09:43,416 --> 00:09:45,251
It just became
very evident to me

235
00:09:45,352 --> 00:09:49,622
that we had this connection
that was kind of, like,

236
00:09:49,656 --> 00:09:50,990
like a soul connection,

237
00:09:51,024 --> 00:09:53,660
and something
that you don’t find every day.

238
00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:55,528
It was just kinda obvious to us

239
00:09:55,562 --> 00:09:58,231
that there was
something more there.

240
00:09:58,264 --> 00:09:59,966
You are smug right now.

241
00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,736
- (Courtney laughs)
- I’m taking her.

242
00:10:02,769 --> 00:10:04,580
(Courtney)
I realized that
I was starting to, like,

243
00:10:04,604 --> 00:10:06,706
have feelings for this woman,
and I was, like,

244
00:10:06,740 --> 00:10:08,708
"Well, I don’t know
if she would even be

245
00:10:08,742 --> 00:10:11,244
interested in me."

246
00:10:11,277 --> 00:10:12,312
(notification chimes)

247
00:10:17,350 --> 00:10:19,819
Aww...

248
00:10:19,853 --> 00:10:22,022
(Josie)
She... she sent me a text,

249
00:10:22,122 --> 00:10:25,759
and was, like, really
nervous about it, I’m sure.

250
00:10:25,859 --> 00:10:27,527
I’m, like, shaking
as I’m writing this.

251
00:10:27,560 --> 00:10:29,462
I’m, like, "Hey, Josie!

252
00:10:29,496 --> 00:10:30,730
Hope you’re doing well!"

253
00:10:30,764 --> 00:10:31,998
"I have feelings for you,

254
00:10:32,032 --> 00:10:33,566
but you can tell me
that I’m crazy."

255
00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:35,011
"It’s totally fine
if you don’t like me,

256
00:10:35,035 --> 00:10:36,703
it’s totally fine, like,
not a big deal.

257
00:10:36,736 --> 00:10:38,238
Like, I hope
we can still be friends,

258
00:10:38,271 --> 00:10:38,672
it’s totally fine."

259
00:10:38,705 --> 00:10:39,572
"If it’s not, like,

260
00:10:39,639 --> 00:10:40,883
you can just pretend
nothing happened,

261
00:10:40,907 --> 00:10:43,209
- I never said anything."
- "Don’t even worry about it.

262
00:10:43,243 --> 00:10:45,478
If you don’t like me,
it’s fine, it’s totally fine."

263
00:10:45,512 --> 00:10:46,822
And then, I think
she probably just, like,

264
00:10:46,846 --> 00:10:48,248
threw her phone across the room.

265
00:10:48,281 --> 00:10:50,550
I’m, like, just sitting there,
looking at my phone,

266
00:10:50,583 --> 00:10:52,252
and 20 minutes go by.

267
00:10:52,285 --> 00:10:53,319
Now 30 minutes.

268
00:10:53,353 --> 00:10:56,022
And I’m just, like,
"Oh, no, I just lost a friend.

269
00:10:56,122 --> 00:10:57,724
This is horrible,
this is horrible.

270
00:10:57,757 --> 00:10:59,559
She’s such a good person, too."

271
00:10:59,592 --> 00:11:01,428
Then, 45 minutes later,

272
00:11:01,461 --> 00:11:03,163
she texts me back
and is, like...

273
00:11:03,196 --> 00:11:05,999
"I’ve, like been feeling
something toward you, too,

274
00:11:06,032 --> 00:11:07,901
but I can’t put my finger
on it."

275
00:11:07,934 --> 00:11:09,936
"It’s just all new for me,
so, like,

276
00:11:09,969 --> 00:11:11,771
I’d like to take it slow."

277
00:11:11,805 --> 00:11:15,075
And, yeah, it just kind of
grew from there.

278
00:11:15,141 --> 00:11:19,746
♪

279
00:11:19,779 --> 00:11:21,948
She’s such a wild spirit
and fearless.

280
00:11:21,981 --> 00:11:26,519
She’s also a very strong
and resilient person as well.

281
00:11:26,553 --> 00:11:31,191
(Josie)
She is this very confident,
like, high-energy person.

282
00:11:31,224 --> 00:11:33,560
Like, Court knows
who she is as a person,

283
00:11:33,593 --> 00:11:35,328
and I know who I am,

284
00:11:35,362 --> 00:11:37,864
so, that never falters.

285
00:11:40,633 --> 00:11:43,103
(faint birdsong)

286
00:11:48,641 --> 00:11:49,743
(self-fastener tearing)

287
00:11:49,776 --> 00:11:51,845
(Ezra)
No, I’m ready, I think.

288
00:11:51,878 --> 00:11:54,481
In between Paralympic Games,

289
00:11:54,514 --> 00:11:57,350
I’m training basically 24/7.

290
00:11:57,384 --> 00:12:00,854
We have national championships,
world championships,

291
00:12:00,887 --> 00:12:03,523
and you’re basically trying
to stay at an elite level

292
00:12:03,556 --> 00:12:05,358
every year throughout those four

293
00:12:05,392 --> 00:12:07,093
so that when
the Games roll around again,

294
00:12:07,193 --> 00:12:09,195
you can be in a position
to win a medal.

295
00:12:09,229 --> 00:12:09,929
(bar clanging)

296
00:12:09,996 --> 00:12:12,332
(Lati)
Hey, we can’t be disappointed.

297
00:12:12,365 --> 00:12:14,043
So, you’re definitely
gonna have to move back.

298
00:12:14,067 --> 00:12:16,136
You had no real space to rise.

299
00:12:16,169 --> 00:12:17,413
(Ezra)
Yeah, and the blade
hit the ground, too.

300
00:12:17,437 --> 00:12:18,371
(Lati)
Yeah.

301
00:12:18,438 --> 00:12:19,806
Don’t overthink this.

302
00:12:19,839 --> 00:12:21,207
You’ve seen
what you need to fix.

303
00:12:21,241 --> 00:12:22,876
Now, we’re back
in training mode,

304
00:12:22,909 --> 00:12:24,210
- okay?
- All right.

305
00:12:24,244 --> 00:12:25,178
(Lati claps)

306
00:12:25,211 --> 00:12:27,113
So, I can, in my head,
be dreaming

307
00:12:27,147 --> 00:12:28,982
about the next Paralympic Games,
but also,

308
00:12:29,015 --> 00:12:30,593
knowing that I have
a world championships

309
00:12:30,617 --> 00:12:32,185
in a few months in Paris.

310
00:12:37,824 --> 00:12:39,292
The future
that I’m working towards

311
00:12:39,325 --> 00:12:43,196
is something I’ve had in my head
for a really long time.

312
00:12:43,229 --> 00:12:44,798
I wanna become
one of the greatest

313
00:12:44,831 --> 00:12:47,467
Paralympic athletes
to ever live.

314
00:12:47,567 --> 00:12:48,501
I wanna become
the biggest athlete

315
00:12:48,535 --> 00:12:49,602
on the planet,

316
00:12:49,703 --> 00:12:52,972
and push those boundaries
that society places on people

317
00:12:53,073 --> 00:12:55,041
with physical disabilities.

318
00:12:57,177 --> 00:12:59,979
(interviewer)
Do you have a girlfriend?

319
00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:01,348
I don’t have a girlfriend.

320
00:13:01,381 --> 00:13:03,581
Do you want me to explain
why I don’t have a girlfriend?

321
00:13:04,851 --> 00:13:07,253
I make decisions
within the boundaries of,

322
00:13:07,287 --> 00:13:08,955
"Does this get me
closer to my goals

323
00:13:09,055 --> 00:13:11,257
or get me farther?"

324
00:13:11,291 --> 00:13:12,292
Having a girlfriend,

325
00:13:12,392 --> 00:13:14,594
at least,
at this stage of my life,

326
00:13:14,627 --> 00:13:16,830
does not get me
closer to my goals.

327
00:13:16,863 --> 00:13:19,099
On to the weight room.

328
00:13:19,132 --> 00:13:21,310
There’s lots of drama involved
with having a girlfriend,

329
00:13:21,334 --> 00:13:22,669
a huge time commitment.

330
00:13:22,769 --> 00:13:24,004
That’s time,

331
00:13:24,037 --> 00:13:26,039
that’s energy that I’m spending

332
00:13:26,072 --> 00:13:28,308
not getting myself
closer to my goals.

333
00:13:28,341 --> 00:13:31,611
(ball thudding)

334
00:13:31,644 --> 00:13:34,347
(Clayton)
Junior high and the first few
years of high school, like,

335
00:13:34,447 --> 00:13:35,982
those are really fun years.

336
00:13:36,016 --> 00:13:38,318
He’s given up so much.

337
00:13:38,351 --> 00:13:40,120
He’s so committed.

338
00:13:41,154 --> 00:13:46,359
He has sacrificed his childhood.

339
00:13:46,393 --> 00:13:49,496
As a dad, I’m, like,
what do you say to your child

340
00:13:49,596 --> 00:13:52,599
that’s been dreaming about this
his whole life?

341
00:13:52,632 --> 00:13:55,001
(sole softly thudding)

342
00:13:57,003 --> 00:13:59,406
(equipment beeping)

343
00:13:59,439 --> 00:14:01,374
Hi, baby!

344
00:14:01,408 --> 00:14:03,410
There’s Daddy!

345
00:14:03,443 --> 00:14:04,477
Hi, baby!

346
00:14:11,518 --> 00:14:14,721
(Bahar)
I was so excited
about this child.

347
00:14:14,754 --> 00:14:16,423
My entire pregnancy,

348
00:14:16,523 --> 00:14:21,628
I was healthy, yoga, organic,
exercising, meditating,

349
00:14:21,661 --> 00:14:24,431
like, so ready for this child.

350
00:14:43,516 --> 00:14:45,385
(baby crying)

351
00:14:45,418 --> 00:14:46,586
(exclamations, applause)

352
00:14:46,619 --> 00:14:48,455
When Ez was born,

353
00:14:48,488 --> 00:14:51,224
the nurse handed me
this beautiful child,

354
00:14:51,257 --> 00:14:54,227
and I was, like,
he took my breath away.

355
00:14:54,327 --> 00:14:56,296
(applause)

356
00:14:56,329 --> 00:14:58,865
Clay immediately started
kicking people out of the room,

357
00:14:58,898 --> 00:15:01,067
and I’m thinking,
"What is happening?"

358
00:15:01,101 --> 00:15:03,236
I looked at the doctor,

359
00:15:03,269 --> 00:15:06,072
and the doctor is freaking out,
and I’m, like,

360
00:15:06,139 --> 00:15:07,540
"What’s goin’ on?"

361
00:15:07,574 --> 00:15:08,375
I’m, like, everybody...

362
00:15:08,408 --> 00:15:10,143
"What’s goin’ on,
what’s goin’ on?

363
00:15:10,176 --> 00:15:11,811
Like, why are you all
acting so weird?"

364
00:15:11,845 --> 00:15:13,947
And he said,
"Something happened."

365
00:15:13,980 --> 00:15:15,615
-Oh, my God, you’re so...
-Perfect!

366
00:15:17,317 --> 00:15:19,028
(Clayton)
You know, when he kinda
came out of the chute,

367
00:15:19,052 --> 00:15:23,757
I noticed... I noticed
his hand was different.

368
00:15:23,790 --> 00:15:25,892
And at some point,
I noticed the leg...

369
00:15:25,925 --> 00:15:28,261
Left leg is not straightened,
either.

370
00:15:28,294 --> 00:15:31,064
It’s curved,
the foot is up by the waist.

371
00:15:31,097 --> 00:15:32,808
I mean, it’s in a totally
unnatural position.

372
00:15:32,832 --> 00:15:35,835
(man)
All right, just gonna check
and make sure everything’s okay.

373
00:15:35,869 --> 00:15:39,439
(overlapping remarks)

374
00:15:39,472 --> 00:15:43,777
(Bahar)
Immediately, they called
genetic specialists and doctors

375
00:15:43,877 --> 00:15:45,645
to take him away
so they can do testing,

376
00:15:45,679 --> 00:15:48,882
’cause they don’t know if it was
his heart, major organs.

377
00:15:48,915 --> 00:15:50,016
We didn’t know anything.

378
00:15:50,050 --> 00:15:51,761
(man) Can I get a 3.0
when you get a second?

379
00:15:51,785 --> 00:15:53,019
(woman)
A 3.0...

380
00:15:53,053 --> 00:15:55,021
(man)
(unintelligible) on a CT.

381
00:15:55,055 --> 00:15:57,123
This fire surged
through my body,

382
00:15:57,157 --> 00:16:00,326
and I’m trying to rip out my IV,

383
00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:01,995
and I was just, like,
"Gimme my baby!"

384
00:16:02,028 --> 00:16:03,963
I’m, like, "Gimme my baby."

385
00:16:03,997 --> 00:16:06,232
(baby fussing)

386
00:16:06,266 --> 00:16:08,802
I wanted to grab him
and run out of the hospital

387
00:16:08,835 --> 00:16:11,338
and take my baby
and take care of him.

388
00:16:11,438 --> 00:16:13,740
Images were flashing,
boom, boom, boom, boom,

389
00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:15,709
in my head within seconds,

390
00:16:15,742 --> 00:16:17,477
flashes of his life, like...

391
00:16:17,577 --> 00:16:19,045
(overlapping sounds)

392
00:16:19,079 --> 00:16:20,613
what it’s gonna be like
in school.

393
00:16:20,647 --> 00:16:21,481
Kids are gonna make fun of him.

394
00:16:21,514 --> 00:16:22,148
Is he gonna be bullied?

395
00:16:22,182 --> 00:16:23,616
Who’s gonna marry him?

396
00:16:23,650 --> 00:16:25,752
What is his life gonna be like?

397
00:16:25,785 --> 00:16:28,955
And he’s not even 24 hours old.

398
00:16:28,988 --> 00:16:30,590
We’re at the zoo,
we’re at the zoo!

399
00:16:30,623 --> 00:16:33,026
Ezzie, look,
there’s a meerkat right there.

400
00:16:33,059 --> 00:16:34,494
(overlapping chatter)

401
00:16:34,527 --> 00:16:37,697
Everywhere we went,
people would stare.

402
00:16:37,731 --> 00:16:39,499
Everywhere.

403
00:16:39,532 --> 00:16:41,134
Ezzie, can you see him?

404
00:16:41,201 --> 00:16:43,269
I was really defensive.

405
00:16:43,303 --> 00:16:46,239
I was constantly, like,
giving people dirty looks.

406
00:16:46,306 --> 00:16:48,975
But the most important thing
for me was,

407
00:16:49,075 --> 00:16:51,444
how do I be the best mother
to this child?

408
00:16:53,246 --> 00:16:55,115
When he would walk
into a playground,

409
00:16:55,215 --> 00:16:58,618
all these kids
would just rush over,

410
00:16:58,651 --> 00:17:01,321
like Ez was some freak show.

411
00:17:02,722 --> 00:17:06,893
It was my job to shift gears
and say, "Hey, buddy.

412
00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:08,294
You curious about Ezra?

413
00:17:08,328 --> 00:17:11,631
Let me tell you his story."

414
00:17:11,664 --> 00:17:13,400
I knew the darts would come,

415
00:17:13,433 --> 00:17:17,270
so, I had to build a foundation
for him to charge forward

416
00:17:17,370 --> 00:17:21,908
and to feel confident
in who he is

417
00:17:21,975 --> 00:17:24,110
to navigate this world.

418
00:17:24,144 --> 00:17:25,612
And then,
when he was old enough,

419
00:17:25,645 --> 00:17:27,414
it was his voice.

420
00:17:27,514 --> 00:17:31,051
(uplifting music)

421
00:17:31,084 --> 00:17:32,662
(Ezra)
The start
of my public speaking career

422
00:17:32,686 --> 00:17:34,054
goes way back.

423
00:17:34,087 --> 00:17:36,022
I think I was four years old

424
00:17:36,122 --> 00:17:37,957
when I first started
giving speeches.

425
00:17:37,991 --> 00:17:39,993
(boy)
Why do you have a fake leg?

426
00:17:40,026 --> 00:17:41,828
(Ezra)
I was born with a shorter leg,

427
00:17:41,861 --> 00:17:46,966
so I have a prosthetic leg
to help me run and do stuff.

428
00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:48,068
(Bahar)
He was incredible,

429
00:17:48,134 --> 00:17:49,302
and he was articulate,

430
00:17:49,402 --> 00:17:51,771
he was speaking
at public schools.

431
00:17:51,838 --> 00:17:54,107
(Ezra)
I had surgery when I was
two and a half years old,

432
00:17:54,140 --> 00:17:56,176
and they removed
the curved part of my leg,

433
00:17:56,209 --> 00:17:59,045
and they took the big toe
and put it on my left hand.

434
00:17:59,079 --> 00:18:02,215
Please welcome my new friend,
Ezra Frech.

435
00:18:02,248 --> 00:18:03,817
- Ezra Frech.
- Ezra Frech.

436
00:18:03,850 --> 00:18:05,952
Ezra Frech!

437
00:18:06,052 --> 00:18:08,254
(Clayton)
He’s speaking to 17,000 people

438
00:18:08,288 --> 00:18:10,123
in basketball arenas,

439
00:18:10,156 --> 00:18:12,058
and he’s not nervous.

440
00:18:12,092 --> 00:18:14,127
Boy, oh boy,
you’re something else, Ezra.

441
00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:16,129
You just gotta know
that being different is okay.

442
00:18:16,162 --> 00:18:17,630
Everyone’s different,

443
00:18:17,664 --> 00:18:19,008
whether you look different,
you think different,

444
00:18:19,032 --> 00:18:20,433
or you act different.

445
00:18:20,533 --> 00:18:21,868
(applause)

446
00:18:21,901 --> 00:18:23,012
(Ezra)
A lot of people
with physical disabilities,

447
00:18:23,036 --> 00:18:24,237
they hide that,

448
00:18:24,270 --> 00:18:26,339
they shy away from being
open about their stories.

449
00:18:26,373 --> 00:18:28,108
Growing up, we were
always talking to people

450
00:18:28,174 --> 00:18:29,409
about my story.

451
00:18:29,442 --> 00:18:30,844
There was no hiding
my disability.

452
00:18:30,877 --> 00:18:32,112
That wasn’t allowed.

453
00:18:32,178 --> 00:18:33,246
I was educating people,

454
00:18:33,346 --> 00:18:35,091
I was explaining
what physical disabilities are,

455
00:18:35,115 --> 00:18:36,225
I was explaining
what an amputation is,

456
00:18:36,249 --> 00:18:37,250
a prosthetic leg.

457
00:18:37,283 --> 00:18:40,086
You really motivate people
left and right.

458
00:18:40,120 --> 00:18:42,422
(Ezra)
My mom was really the person
who initiated the idea

459
00:18:42,455 --> 00:18:43,666
of just sticking her chest out,

460
00:18:43,690 --> 00:18:46,059
walking in with confidence,
putting your chin up,

461
00:18:46,092 --> 00:18:47,269
not retreating
to this insecurity

462
00:18:47,293 --> 00:18:48,461
about my disability.

463
00:18:48,495 --> 00:18:51,865
It’s given me the confidence
to not be concerned

464
00:18:51,898 --> 00:18:52,799
about judgment,

465
00:18:52,899 --> 00:18:56,202
concerned about what
other people think of me.

466
00:18:56,269 --> 00:18:58,238
That really provided me
with a foundation

467
00:18:58,338 --> 00:19:00,306
I continue to utilize
to this day.

468
00:19:08,181 --> 00:19:11,551
(Sandra)
This is a shrine to Jamal.

469
00:19:11,584 --> 00:19:14,020
Some of my favorite
things and pictures.

470
00:19:14,054 --> 00:19:17,323
And this is his room.

471
00:19:20,093 --> 00:19:21,828
And this is my favorite
picture of him,

472
00:19:21,861 --> 00:19:23,430
I’ll put it right there.

473
00:19:25,365 --> 00:19:27,400
I didn’t learn how to swim
as a child,

474
00:19:27,467 --> 00:19:30,503
and I always thought
that he would learn how to swim.

475
00:19:30,570 --> 00:19:33,106
I didn’t know
that he had anything,

476
00:19:33,173 --> 00:19:35,842
like CMT or anything else,

477
00:19:35,909 --> 00:19:39,913
’cause we didn’t find out
until he was 9 or 10 years old.

478
00:19:39,979 --> 00:19:42,315
(contemplative music)

479
00:19:42,382 --> 00:19:44,617
♪

480
00:19:44,651 --> 00:19:47,253
(Jamal)
Thanksgiving of my tenth year
of life,

481
00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:49,322
we’re driving out
to Thanksgiving dinner.

482
00:19:49,356 --> 00:19:50,790
I fall asleep in the car

483
00:19:50,824 --> 00:19:54,661
on the passenger-side backseat
on my right arm,

484
00:19:54,694 --> 00:19:56,763
and I wake up, and, dude,
my arm’s asleep.

485
00:19:56,796 --> 00:19:59,299
No big deal,
don’t think anything of it.

486
00:19:59,332 --> 00:20:00,367
Get out of the car,

487
00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:01,968
start to go play
with my cousins,

488
00:20:02,002 --> 00:20:03,636
my right arm doesn’t wake up.

489
00:20:03,703 --> 00:20:06,006
I start to feel
increasingly lethargic.

490
00:20:06,039 --> 00:20:08,408
♪

491
00:20:08,441 --> 00:20:11,811
We finally come to sit down
for Thanksgiving dinner,

492
00:20:11,845 --> 00:20:15,582
and I can’t even move my arms
to pick up my fork.

493
00:20:15,648 --> 00:20:17,851
I’m able to tell my dad
next to me,

494
00:20:17,917 --> 00:20:19,419
"Hey, something’s wrong.

495
00:20:19,486 --> 00:20:21,621
I don’t even know
if I can stand right now,"

496
00:20:21,654 --> 00:20:22,422
and he’s, like,

497
00:20:22,489 --> 00:20:25,458
"What in the world
are you talking about?"

498
00:20:25,492 --> 00:20:27,827
Before we even get
to eat Thanksgiving dinner,

499
00:20:27,861 --> 00:20:29,629
he’s carrying me
out of the house,

500
00:20:29,662 --> 00:20:31,798
and we’re going
to the local hospital.

501
00:20:31,831 --> 00:20:36,202
They start to do some
CAT scans and things like that.

502
00:20:36,236 --> 00:20:37,637
So, the first three days,

503
00:20:37,704 --> 00:20:41,641
I’m pretty much
in a full paralytic state.

504
00:20:41,708 --> 00:20:44,978
I’m getting MRI machine scans
on a daily basis,

505
00:20:45,011 --> 00:20:49,716
spinal taps... you know,
these huge, nine-inch needles.

506
00:20:49,749 --> 00:20:52,752
The doctors ultimately
come up with this conclusion:

507
00:20:52,819 --> 00:20:54,487
"Okay, this is
a type of neuropathy

508
00:20:54,554 --> 00:20:57,257
called Charcot-Marie-Tooth."

509
00:20:57,323 --> 00:20:58,858
After those three days,

510
00:20:58,892 --> 00:21:01,661
I can stand
and I can walk now, but...

511
00:21:01,695 --> 00:21:04,164
I can’t really run the same.

512
00:21:04,230 --> 00:21:07,133
Now, I’m in this body
where the nerve capacity

513
00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:09,269
from my knees
to the soles of my feet

514
00:21:09,302 --> 00:21:11,838
has been depleted to 0 percent,

515
00:21:11,871 --> 00:21:14,674
and the nerve capacity
from my elbows to my fingertips

516
00:21:14,708 --> 00:21:18,578
has been depleted to 30 percent.

517
00:21:18,611 --> 00:21:20,580
A doctor came to my mom,
she’s, like,

518
00:21:20,613 --> 00:21:24,417
"Hey, this is what your son
can expect from life,

519
00:21:24,484 --> 00:21:26,619
living with this disability,"

520
00:21:26,653 --> 00:21:30,623
and that just wasn’t something
she was willing to accept.

521
00:21:30,657 --> 00:21:33,426
(Sandra)
I just decided that
there was no medical degree

522
00:21:33,493 --> 00:21:35,495
that could convince me

523
00:21:35,528 --> 00:21:38,098
that my son couldn’t do
anything and everything.

524
00:21:39,766 --> 00:21:42,168
They’re telling me,
"Well, he might fall down."

525
00:21:42,202 --> 00:21:43,837
I said, "Everybody falls down.

526
00:21:43,870 --> 00:21:45,672
That’s how you learn
how to get up."

527
00:21:47,173 --> 00:21:49,242
I wasn’t gonna do that to him.

528
00:21:49,309 --> 00:21:51,277
I’ve never told him
he had anything

529
00:21:51,311 --> 00:21:53,880
other than growing pains,

530
00:21:53,947 --> 00:21:55,715
and he believed me.

531
00:21:56,916 --> 00:21:59,753
For years,
I didn’t have a name for it.

532
00:21:59,819 --> 00:22:02,322
I didn’t know
what it was called.

533
00:22:02,355 --> 00:22:04,924
Not knowing protected me so much

534
00:22:04,991 --> 00:22:07,627
from starting to limit myself.

535
00:22:07,660 --> 00:22:08,895
I feel like, in some ways,

536
00:22:08,928 --> 00:22:10,764
I’ve been able
to bend this disability

537
00:22:10,830 --> 00:22:13,500
to my will.

538
00:22:13,533 --> 00:22:15,735
Through high school,
through college,

539
00:22:15,802 --> 00:22:20,707
coaches, teachers, staff,
girlfriend, best friend,

540
00:22:20,740 --> 00:22:23,143
nobody knows this battle
that I’m struggling with

541
00:22:23,176 --> 00:22:24,577
every day,

542
00:22:24,644 --> 00:22:27,113
and that’s how I’ve wanted it.

543
00:22:27,147 --> 00:22:30,850
Wilma Wong pulls me aside
one day and she says,

544
00:22:30,917 --> 00:22:32,218
"Hey, look, buddy.

545
00:22:32,252 --> 00:22:34,721
Um, I’ve been watching you
for a year,

546
00:22:34,754 --> 00:22:38,558
and everyone else is improving;
you’re not.

547
00:22:38,591 --> 00:22:41,895
I look at the way
that you climb out of the pool.

548
00:22:41,961 --> 00:22:44,097
I see the way that you,"
air quotes, "’dive’

549
00:22:44,130 --> 00:22:45,999
off of the swimming blocks.

550
00:22:46,066 --> 00:22:48,935
Dude, it’s not a dive;
you’re just falling in."

551
00:22:49,002 --> 00:22:51,104
I feel seen,

552
00:22:51,171 --> 00:22:53,606
and that was the first time
I really started to learn

553
00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:55,809
a little bit about this disease

554
00:22:55,842 --> 00:22:58,478
that I’ve been living with
for so long.

555
00:22:58,511 --> 00:23:01,448
(uplifting music)

556
00:23:01,481 --> 00:23:04,384
(Wilma)
I said, "I think you can
continue to try

557
00:23:04,451 --> 00:23:06,653
to go to the Olympics,
but, really, the route

558
00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:08,688
that might be
even better for you

559
00:23:08,722 --> 00:23:11,257
would be the Paralympics."

560
00:23:11,291 --> 00:23:14,761
(Jamal)
I’ll never forget
how much that hurt my heart

561
00:23:14,794 --> 00:23:16,496
in that moment.

562
00:23:16,563 --> 00:23:18,264
But maybe
there’s something here.

563
00:23:18,331 --> 00:23:19,899
Maybe this is my path.

564
00:23:19,966 --> 00:23:22,569
Maybe this is
divine intervention.

565
00:23:22,602 --> 00:23:26,306
Let me just surrender to it
and see where it goes.

566
00:23:26,339 --> 00:23:31,044
(Wilma)
It was a turning point
to embrace disability.

567
00:23:31,077 --> 00:23:34,214
If you can take that trauma
and turn it into a diamond,

568
00:23:34,247 --> 00:23:38,351
the trauma of having to hide
your disability all your life

569
00:23:38,418 --> 00:23:41,321
and not feeling good enough,

570
00:23:41,354 --> 00:23:44,958
then that trauma
becomes your superpower.

571
00:23:44,991 --> 00:23:46,026
♪

572
00:23:46,059 --> 00:23:47,269
(Jamal)
Couple months later,
September, October,

573
00:23:47,293 --> 00:23:52,165
I was at my first Paralympics
swim meet, California Classic.

574
00:23:52,198 --> 00:23:55,402
I went to my first national
championships that year,

575
00:23:55,435 --> 00:23:58,705
won my first
national championship medal.

576
00:23:58,772 --> 00:24:00,840
I started to go through
the emotional experience

577
00:24:00,874 --> 00:24:03,543
of acknowledging my disability.

578
00:24:03,610 --> 00:24:05,278
Now, I’m stepping into my truth,

579
00:24:05,345 --> 00:24:07,247
and I’m telling my story,

580
00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:10,717
and I’m on the friggin’
U.S. Paralympics Swimming Team.

581
00:24:10,784 --> 00:24:12,919
♪

582
00:24:12,952 --> 00:24:15,055
(man)
The start list
includes Jamal Hill

583
00:24:15,121 --> 00:24:16,856
at his first Paralympic Games.

584
00:24:16,890 --> 00:24:19,592
This is somebody
who’s got some talent

585
00:24:19,659 --> 00:24:21,561
to look out for in the future.

586
00:24:23,029 --> 00:24:24,798
(Jamal)
Having been through Tokyo,

587
00:24:24,831 --> 00:24:27,734
there’s a part of me
that’s grateful for it,

588
00:24:27,767 --> 00:24:29,703
but I still want more.

589
00:24:29,769 --> 00:24:32,672
(man)
Undoubtedly, the individual
to watch, Simone Barlaam.

590
00:24:32,706 --> 00:24:34,974
He’s picked up seven gold medals

591
00:24:35,008 --> 00:24:37,410
in the last two
world championship titles.

592
00:24:37,444 --> 00:24:39,579
He is going to be
very difficult to beat,

593
00:24:39,612 --> 00:24:42,248
but Tarasov, Martin, Hill,

594
00:24:42,282 --> 00:24:44,184
even Solberg
would fancy a chance.

595
00:24:44,217 --> 00:24:45,652
(buzzer)

596
00:24:45,685 --> 00:24:47,687
Disken is gonna need
to pull out a big swim

597
00:24:47,721 --> 00:24:50,056
if he’s to go anywhere close
to claiming the silver

598
00:24:50,090 --> 00:24:51,791
that he took in Rio.

599
00:24:51,858 --> 00:24:54,561
Tarasov looks the fastest
right now.

600
00:24:54,594 --> 00:24:57,097
Well, maybe, it’s...
Hill got a good start

601
00:24:57,163 --> 00:24:58,598
and is into his stroke.

602
00:24:58,665 --> 00:25:00,567
But it’s Barlaam
coming to the wall.

603
00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:02,669
He’s going to touch
Paralympic record time

604
00:25:02,736 --> 00:25:03,770
ahead of Tarasov.

605
00:25:03,837 --> 00:25:06,473
Jamal Hill does medal
for the United States.

606
00:25:06,539 --> 00:25:08,408
A good start to put him
in good stead.

607
00:25:08,441 --> 00:25:09,943
25.19.

608
00:25:10,010 --> 00:25:10,877
And for Jamal Hill,

609
00:25:10,910 --> 00:25:13,913
what a way to make
your Paralympic Games debut.

610
00:25:13,947 --> 00:25:16,883
(woman)
Yeah, I mean, Jamal Hill,
that was unexpected by him,

611
00:25:16,916 --> 00:25:19,252
but this is always what happens
in the 50 freestyle.

612
00:25:19,285 --> 00:25:21,154
It’s anybody’s race,
it’s one length.

613
00:25:21,221 --> 00:25:24,290
Every single second,
every tenth of a second counts.

614
00:25:24,324 --> 00:25:27,761
(majestic music)

615
00:25:27,827 --> 00:25:29,729
(Jamal)
There’s a part of me
that’s proud

616
00:25:29,763 --> 00:25:32,165
because that was
a mission accomplished

617
00:25:32,198 --> 00:25:34,668
at that time.

618
00:25:34,701 --> 00:25:36,936
But you don’t spend
the last three years training

619
00:25:37,003 --> 00:25:40,073
to do anything
other than win a gold medal.

620
00:25:40,140 --> 00:25:43,043
♪

621
00:25:43,076 --> 00:25:45,745
Yeah, this is good,
and this may be even great,

622
00:25:45,812 --> 00:25:47,580
but, like, can we make it
more great?

623
00:25:49,582 --> 00:25:51,718
(lively music)

624
00:25:51,751 --> 00:25:53,653
♪

625
00:25:53,687 --> 00:25:57,857
(man)
Hello and welcome
to Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games,

626
00:25:57,891 --> 00:26:00,994
as the United States of America

627
00:26:01,027 --> 00:26:04,731
take on the People’s Republic
of China.

628
00:26:04,764 --> 00:26:07,534
The Chinese, undefeated so far

629
00:26:07,567 --> 00:26:11,671
in this wheelchair
basketball competition.

630
00:26:11,705 --> 00:26:14,341
(Courtney)
You are at the Paralympic Games.

631
00:26:14,374 --> 00:26:15,909
You have made it to this level.

632
00:26:15,942 --> 00:26:19,045
You are at that pinnacle point
of your career

633
00:26:19,079 --> 00:26:21,648
where you get
to represent Team USA.

634
00:26:21,715 --> 00:26:25,218
- One, two, three!
- USA!

635
00:26:25,251 --> 00:26:30,523
(Courtney)
Team USA came off in 2016
winning a gold medal.

636
00:26:30,557 --> 00:26:33,093
This team has
a lot less experience,

637
00:26:33,126 --> 00:26:35,895
but we have a lot
of high expectations.

638
00:26:35,929 --> 00:26:38,098
(air horn blaring,
whistle blowing)

639
00:26:38,131 --> 00:26:40,600
(man)
Here we are then,
and it is the Americans

640
00:26:40,667 --> 00:26:43,603
who will have the first
possession of the game.

641
00:26:43,636 --> 00:26:46,806
Shot goes up
from Courtney Ryan, all string.

642
00:26:46,840 --> 00:26:49,142
A chance for Ryan
in the transition.

643
00:26:49,209 --> 00:26:51,211
Gotta get it up
before the buzzer does so

644
00:26:51,244 --> 00:26:51,945
and lays it in.

645
00:26:52,012 --> 00:26:56,016
Great first quarter
for Courtney Ryan.

646
00:26:56,049 --> 00:27:01,287
(Josie)
China was a game for us
that was unexpectedly hard.

647
00:27:01,321 --> 00:27:04,090
(man)
Second half, USA, 21.

648
00:27:04,124 --> 00:27:05,692
China, seven.

649
00:27:05,725 --> 00:27:08,762
And there we go,
a made basket for China.

650
00:27:08,795 --> 00:27:13,266
We did relatively well
against them in the first half,

651
00:27:13,299 --> 00:27:17,170
and then the second half
just kind of didn’t go our way.

652
00:27:17,237 --> 00:27:19,372
(man)
That’s better ball movement
from the Chinese.

653
00:27:19,406 --> 00:27:22,842
And Chen underneath for two.

654
00:27:22,876 --> 00:27:24,844
(Josie)
They play a different
sort of basketball

655
00:27:24,878 --> 00:27:26,980
than any other team
I’ve ever seen.

656
00:27:27,013 --> 00:27:30,417
They stay very laser-focused
on their mission

657
00:27:30,450 --> 00:27:32,652
and their game plan as a unit.

658
00:27:32,686 --> 00:27:34,387
(man)
Good ball movement to Dai.

659
00:27:34,421 --> 00:27:36,122
Dai knocks it down.

660
00:27:36,156 --> 00:27:38,758
It’s a two-point game
with eight minutes to play.

661
00:27:38,792 --> 00:27:41,494
What a second half this is
from China.

662
00:27:41,528 --> 00:27:43,863
Can the Americans respond?

663
00:27:43,897 --> 00:27:46,099
Ryan carrying them
in the first half.

664
00:27:46,132 --> 00:27:48,668
They haven’t really been able
to get her too many looks

665
00:27:48,702 --> 00:27:50,036
in the second half.

666
00:27:50,070 --> 00:27:52,572
And, now, they’re running
out of time.

667
00:27:52,639 --> 00:27:54,641
Ten seconds to go!

668
00:27:54,708 --> 00:27:57,544
USA need a three
to force overtime.

669
00:27:57,577 --> 00:27:59,379
Hollermann forward to Ryan.

670
00:27:59,412 --> 00:28:02,582
They’ll score on the buzzer,
but it won’t be enough.

671
00:28:02,615 --> 00:28:05,251
They’re gonna be
one point short, USA.

672
00:28:05,318 --> 00:28:07,620
(Courtney)
I have been training
the past three years

673
00:28:07,654 --> 00:28:12,325
to be in that gold medal game,
and, now, it was cut short.

674
00:28:12,359 --> 00:28:15,462
It was a tough pill to swallow.

675
00:28:15,495 --> 00:28:18,865
(Josie)
We were able to pull out bronze
against Germany.

676
00:28:18,898 --> 00:28:22,268
It’s better than no medal,
but it was definitely tough.

677
00:28:22,335 --> 00:28:26,740
(man)
A 13-point win
for Trooper Johnson’s team

678
00:28:26,773 --> 00:28:28,975
in Tokyo 2020.

679
00:28:36,349 --> 00:28:39,419
(indistinct chatter)

680
00:28:39,452 --> 00:28:42,522
(chuckling)

681
00:28:42,555 --> 00:28:44,024
- Good to see you.
- You too, you too.

682
00:28:44,057 --> 00:28:45,234
Let’s have some fun today, bro.

683
00:28:45,258 --> 00:28:48,428
- This will be fun, yeah?
- Yeah, definitely, always is.

684
00:28:51,531 --> 00:28:53,867
(Ezra)
I’ve had this really amazing
opportunity come about

685
00:28:53,900 --> 00:28:57,170
to get to work
with a Paralympic legend,

686
00:28:57,237 --> 00:29:01,474
arguably the greatest Paralympic
high jumper of all time.

687
00:29:01,508 --> 00:29:03,343
(man)
Roderick Townsend.

688
00:29:03,376 --> 00:29:05,178
(bright music)

689
00:29:05,211 --> 00:29:06,746
(cheering)

690
00:29:06,780 --> 00:29:09,582
Making it look easy.

691
00:29:09,616 --> 00:29:14,354
He is the best high jumper
of his era.

692
00:29:14,387 --> 00:29:17,691
(Ezra)
Rod was one of those guys
in 2016,

693
00:29:17,724 --> 00:29:20,427
when I was just a little kid
watching the Rio Paralympics,

694
00:29:20,493 --> 00:29:23,029
that I really looked up to.

695
00:29:23,063 --> 00:29:24,831
He’s been a mentor,

696
00:29:24,864 --> 00:29:27,067
an older brother-type figure
for me.

697
00:29:28,902 --> 00:29:30,904
(Roderick)
Just jump straight up, baby.

698
00:29:30,937 --> 00:29:33,239
Big push, jump straight up.

699
00:29:33,273 --> 00:29:35,175
(indistinct chatter)

700
00:29:39,679 --> 00:29:41,848
(Ezra)
Ah! That was my right leg.

701
00:29:41,881 --> 00:29:43,693
(Roderick)
Yeah, but only because
you were close.

702
00:29:43,717 --> 00:29:44,951
Yeah.

703
00:29:44,984 --> 00:29:47,754
(Ezra)
He offered to come on
as my head coach.

704
00:29:47,787 --> 00:29:51,124
It just seemed like
it made the most sense.

705
00:29:51,157 --> 00:29:53,560
Even though we compete
in different classifications,

706
00:29:53,593 --> 00:29:54,994
we do a lot of the same events.

707
00:29:55,028 --> 00:29:58,164
And it’s great to get wisdom,
advice, and coaching

708
00:29:58,198 --> 00:29:59,799
from someone
who’s already accomplished

709
00:29:59,833 --> 00:30:02,502
a lot of the things
that you want to accomplish.

710
00:30:05,305 --> 00:30:08,108
(Roderick)
There we go (indistinct).

711
00:30:08,174 --> 00:30:12,212
This is a kid who this has been
his entire life’s dream.

712
00:30:12,245 --> 00:30:15,515
I don’t see many people
who want it more than he does.

713
00:30:21,955 --> 00:30:24,357
(indistinct announcement)

714
00:30:31,898 --> 00:30:32,966
(Wilma)
Ready?

715
00:30:32,999 --> 00:30:35,135
Take your mark.

716
00:30:35,168 --> 00:30:36,168
Up!

717
00:30:36,202 --> 00:30:38,505
(splashing)

718
00:30:51,718 --> 00:30:54,487
It’s been
a really interesting road.

719
00:30:54,521 --> 00:30:57,323
We had to create
a whole new dive for him.

720
00:30:57,357 --> 00:30:59,325
(splashing)

721
00:30:59,359 --> 00:31:02,295
He can’t really feel his feet.

722
00:31:02,328 --> 00:31:03,463
Up!

723
00:31:03,496 --> 00:31:05,365
(splashing)

724
00:31:06,833 --> 00:31:07,910
- Yeah.
- You can actually see,

725
00:31:07,934 --> 00:31:10,370
you’re grabbing less water,
and it’s really,

726
00:31:10,403 --> 00:31:14,607
really, really tight
through that right there.

727
00:31:14,641 --> 00:31:15,809
It takes time.

728
00:31:15,842 --> 00:31:20,714
But the fastest in the world,
they’re just faster right now.

729
00:31:20,747 --> 00:31:21,614
Up!

730
00:31:21,648 --> 00:31:23,616
(splashing)

731
00:31:23,650 --> 00:31:26,186
(dramatic music)

732
00:31:26,219 --> 00:31:34,219
♪

733
00:31:38,431 --> 00:31:40,667
(Jamal)
National championships
is a major milestone

734
00:31:40,700 --> 00:31:43,570
on this path to Paris.

735
00:31:43,603 --> 00:31:46,773
Really, what I’m there to do
is, I’m racing against myself,

736
00:31:46,873 --> 00:31:47,873
you know?

737
00:31:51,644 --> 00:31:53,313
(beep, splashing)

738
00:31:53,380 --> 00:31:59,352
♪

739
00:32:08,928 --> 00:32:11,331
(whistle blowing)

740
00:32:11,398 --> 00:32:18,972
♪

741
00:32:19,806 --> 00:32:22,809
(beep, splashing)

742
00:32:22,842 --> 00:32:25,378
(tense music)

743
00:32:25,412 --> 00:32:33,412
♪

744
00:32:55,342 --> 00:32:56,676
(Jamal)
Long hold on the start.

745
00:32:56,710 --> 00:32:57,877
(Wilma)
Yeah, well...

746
00:32:57,911 --> 00:33:00,613
(indistinct announcement)

747
00:33:00,647 --> 00:33:02,048
(Wilma)
That puts you...

748
00:33:02,148 --> 00:33:04,117
It moves you up in the world.

749
00:33:07,387 --> 00:33:08,421
Merry Christmas.

750
00:33:08,455 --> 00:33:09,823
(whistle blowing)

751
00:33:09,856 --> 00:33:11,558
(Wilma)
Jamal had a really great day.

752
00:33:11,591 --> 00:33:16,062
The results are it’s probably
his third fastest time ever.

753
00:33:16,096 --> 00:33:19,399
I think his mindset is better
than it’s ever been.

754
00:33:19,432 --> 00:33:21,110
He’s ramping back up,
and it’s really great

755
00:33:21,134 --> 00:33:23,269
that he’s in this position
right now.

756
00:33:23,303 --> 00:33:25,572
So, I’m looking forward
to Paris.

757
00:33:26,639 --> 00:33:28,742
(indistinct chatter)

758
00:33:28,775 --> 00:33:31,144
(basketballs thumping)

759
00:33:39,819 --> 00:33:43,790
(Josie)
There was a point after Tokyo
where, like,

760
00:33:43,823 --> 00:33:45,825
you and I were not ready
to play again.

761
00:33:45,859 --> 00:33:47,027
- Mm-mm.
- Like, I didn’t know

762
00:33:47,093 --> 00:33:48,762
if I was coming back.

763
00:33:48,795 --> 00:33:49,629
(Courtney)
Yeah.

764
00:33:49,662 --> 00:33:51,998
Yeah, like, I can still
look at my bronze medal

765
00:33:52,032 --> 00:33:56,936
and have, like,
a lot of pride in it,

766
00:33:56,970 --> 00:33:59,706
but, then, the shine
is a little...

767
00:33:59,773 --> 00:34:03,643
tainted a little bit
because of those experiences.

768
00:34:03,677 --> 00:34:07,013
(man)
Zurbrugg slings it
across for Ryan,

769
00:34:07,047 --> 00:34:10,050
out of her fingertips
and out of bounds.

770
00:34:10,083 --> 00:34:12,886
Germany ball, down by seven.

771
00:34:12,919 --> 00:34:14,721
(soft music)

772
00:34:14,754 --> 00:34:16,990
(Josie)
Our coaches used to be
really hard on us,

773
00:34:17,023 --> 00:34:18,625
to the point
where it really felt

774
00:34:18,658 --> 00:34:20,560
like emotional misconduct.

775
00:34:20,660 --> 00:34:22,696
And I think we were
all conditioned

776
00:34:22,796 --> 00:34:24,731
to be very, very fearful.

777
00:34:24,798 --> 00:34:26,366
♪

778
00:34:26,399 --> 00:34:29,569
(Desiree)
I remember getting messages
from a lot of the girls

779
00:34:29,602 --> 00:34:30,870
just asking what to do,

780
00:34:30,904 --> 00:34:34,741
how to navigate
something like this.

781
00:34:34,841 --> 00:34:36,910
It’s not easy to go against

782
00:34:37,010 --> 00:34:40,180
someone
in a leadership position.

783
00:34:40,213 --> 00:34:42,849
It’s hard to call out
those types of things, right,

784
00:34:42,882 --> 00:34:44,517
without thinking of backlash,

785
00:34:44,551 --> 00:34:46,519
what that might do
to your career.

786
00:34:46,553 --> 00:34:48,188
♪

787
00:34:48,221 --> 00:34:52,225
(Josie)
We felt like we hadn’t been
heard truly.

788
00:34:52,258 --> 00:34:55,095
Deciding that we were
gonna go to social media,

789
00:34:55,161 --> 00:34:57,397
it was our last resort.

790
00:34:57,430 --> 00:34:59,499
♪

791
00:34:59,532 --> 00:35:03,269
Both of us, on our phone,
rewriting it, editing it,

792
00:35:03,303 --> 00:35:05,939
looking at it about ten times.

793
00:35:05,972 --> 00:35:08,274
♪

794
00:35:08,308 --> 00:35:09,452
(Christina)
These women were brave enough

795
00:35:09,476 --> 00:35:11,911
to bring their experiences
to light.

796
00:35:11,978 --> 00:35:13,913
♪

797
00:35:13,947 --> 00:35:16,116
Those two are big voices
in this,

798
00:35:16,149 --> 00:35:18,618
in making a change.

799
00:35:18,685 --> 00:35:21,287
In everything that they do,
they are empowering.

800
00:35:21,321 --> 00:35:22,522
They empower each other.

801
00:35:22,555 --> 00:35:24,824
They empower people around them.

802
00:35:24,858 --> 00:35:32,858
♪

803
00:35:33,266 --> 00:35:35,101
I’m a three-time gold medalist
as an athlete

804
00:35:35,135 --> 00:35:37,504
in the sport
of wheelchair basketball.

805
00:35:37,537 --> 00:35:41,241
I did say yes because I wanted
to support these women,

806
00:35:41,274 --> 00:35:43,576
and I believe these women.

807
00:35:43,610 --> 00:35:46,479
And if there’s any healing
that’s coming out of this,

808
00:35:46,513 --> 00:35:48,581
I hope that I’m a part of that.

809
00:35:48,615 --> 00:35:50,617
♪

810
00:35:50,717 --> 00:35:53,920
(Desiree)
Me, personally, I came in
with a goal of coaching

811
00:35:53,953 --> 00:35:59,192
from a spot of empathy,
from a spot of light and fun.

812
00:35:59,225 --> 00:36:01,661
And, also, rewriting
what it means

813
00:36:01,695 --> 00:36:06,599
to be competitive and hard
in the sport as well.

814
00:36:06,633 --> 00:36:08,435
(buzzer)

815
00:36:08,535 --> 00:36:10,503
(Courtney)
I think the biggest thing
for me, too,

816
00:36:10,537 --> 00:36:16,710
is, like, we kind of lost
why we played basketball.

817
00:36:16,743 --> 00:36:19,179
And I think they’ve
really brought back the idea

818
00:36:19,212 --> 00:36:22,315
of, like, we play this game
because we have fun.

819
00:36:22,349 --> 00:36:23,917
- Yeah.
- We play this game

820
00:36:23,950 --> 00:36:25,452
because we love it.

821
00:36:25,518 --> 00:36:27,120
♪

822
00:36:27,153 --> 00:36:30,323
It’s such a different
experience and team

823
00:36:30,357 --> 00:36:32,192
than we had before.

824
00:36:32,225 --> 00:36:33,993
And I’m pumped.

825
00:36:34,027 --> 00:36:35,695
- Yeah, me too.
- I’m pumped.

826
00:36:35,729 --> 00:36:37,063
Yeah.

827
00:36:37,163 --> 00:36:39,432
(shouting)

828
00:36:40,867 --> 00:36:42,502
(woman)
Take the middle!

829
00:36:42,535 --> 00:36:43,803
(woman 2)
Got it, got it!

830
00:36:43,837 --> 00:36:45,205
Ooh!

831
00:36:45,238 --> 00:36:46,439
(whistling)

832
00:36:46,473 --> 00:36:48,508
(Christina)
Quick break, bring it in,
let’s go!

833
00:36:50,744 --> 00:36:53,480
Things I want you
to think about in this practice.

834
00:36:53,513 --> 00:36:55,682
Our swings have to be quick.

835
00:36:55,715 --> 00:36:58,651
When we’re in a game,
they have to be quick, okay?

836
00:36:58,685 --> 00:37:01,554
If I’m thinking ahead, right,
like, you ever see China?

837
00:37:01,621 --> 00:37:04,124
Think about, like,
how they pass the ball,

838
00:37:04,157 --> 00:37:06,459
and they catch, shoot, right?

839
00:37:06,493 --> 00:37:08,595
So, that means our head
has to be on a swivel

840
00:37:08,695 --> 00:37:10,430
on defense, right?

841
00:37:10,463 --> 00:37:13,366
Okay, questions,
comments, concerns?

842
00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:15,101
No funny jokes?

843
00:37:15,135 --> 00:37:16,503
All right, then let’s go.

844
00:37:18,004 --> 00:37:20,507
- One, two, three!
- USA!

845
00:37:42,295 --> 00:37:44,664
(Ezra)
Most people get super nervous...

846
00:37:47,300 --> 00:37:49,669
before competitions.

847
00:37:49,736 --> 00:37:50,770
And it’s normal.

848
00:37:50,837 --> 00:37:53,473
I don’t get... I don’t get
super nervous.

849
00:37:53,540 --> 00:37:55,275
Um...

850
00:37:55,342 --> 00:37:57,310
Nerves have never really, like,

851
00:37:57,344 --> 00:37:58,211
I don’t really feel nervous.

852
00:37:58,311 --> 00:38:00,780
I more feel excited, amped,
ready to go.

853
00:38:00,847 --> 00:38:02,916
I know that I’ve done
the work, right?

854
00:38:02,949 --> 00:38:05,752
This is almost the easier part.

855
00:38:05,785 --> 00:38:07,454
And I’m prepared.

856
00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:09,589
I trusted my coaches
this whole time.

857
00:38:09,656 --> 00:38:11,224
I’ve trusted my team around me.

858
00:38:11,291 --> 00:38:13,393
It’s just now time
to trust myself.

859
00:38:15,395 --> 00:38:18,331
Leading up to the 2023
world championships...

860
00:38:18,365 --> 00:38:19,599
I think that’s everything.

861
00:38:19,632 --> 00:38:21,768
I switched prosthetics,

862
00:38:21,801 --> 00:38:23,169
I switched trainers,

863
00:38:23,203 --> 00:38:25,905
I switched coaches.

864
00:38:25,939 --> 00:38:28,308
I basically took everything
that I was doing

865
00:38:28,341 --> 00:38:31,378
to a whole ’nother level.

866
00:38:31,444 --> 00:38:34,748
I was ready to go out there
and take this world title.

867
00:38:34,848 --> 00:38:37,217
(upbeat music)

868
00:38:37,283 --> 00:38:39,119
♪

869
00:38:39,152 --> 00:38:41,621
High jump works
where any competitor

870
00:38:41,654 --> 00:38:44,591
can start their competition
at whatever height they want.

871
00:38:44,657 --> 00:38:46,159
♪

872
00:38:46,192 --> 00:38:49,696
In Tokyo,
180 was my final clearance.

873
00:38:49,763 --> 00:38:52,966
Being my first
international competition

874
00:38:52,999 --> 00:38:55,168
since the Tokyo Games,

875
00:38:55,235 --> 00:38:56,736
Rod and I were
both in agreement.

876
00:38:56,803 --> 00:39:00,106
We were like, "Let’s do 180.

877
00:39:00,140 --> 00:39:01,474
Let’s send a message."

878
00:39:01,541 --> 00:39:05,245
♪

879
00:39:05,311 --> 00:39:07,080
I came in at 180.

880
00:39:07,113 --> 00:39:08,193
Cleared that really easily.

881
00:39:08,248 --> 00:39:10,583
Bar then went to 183.

882
00:39:10,650 --> 00:39:13,386
Cleared that as well.

883
00:39:13,420 --> 00:39:15,922
Bar then went to 186.

884
00:39:15,955 --> 00:39:17,323
♪

885
00:39:17,357 --> 00:39:19,359
(cheering)

886
00:39:19,426 --> 00:39:22,996
By my third jump
of the competition, at 186,

887
00:39:23,063 --> 00:39:24,330
I had already won.

888
00:39:24,364 --> 00:39:27,500
(cheering)

889
00:39:27,534 --> 00:39:28,702
Rod made it very clear to me

890
00:39:28,735 --> 00:39:30,570
that I wasn’t allowed
to celebrate

891
00:39:30,637 --> 00:39:32,381
because I was going
for something way higher,

892
00:39:32,405 --> 00:39:36,109
way greater,
which was the world record.

893
00:39:36,176 --> 00:39:37,610
(tense music)

894
00:39:37,677 --> 00:39:39,412
After you win
a high jump competition

895
00:39:39,479 --> 00:39:41,915
and there’s no one else
still competing,

896
00:39:41,981 --> 00:39:42,782
you can essentially choose

897
00:39:42,849 --> 00:39:44,169
whatever height
you want to go to.

898
00:39:44,217 --> 00:39:48,421
(woman)
And it looks like he might be
continuing to jump on.

899
00:39:48,488 --> 00:39:49,932
I think he was just having
a discussion with Townsend

900
00:39:49,956 --> 00:39:52,092
about what he should put
the bar up to.

901
00:39:52,158 --> 00:39:53,736
(Ezra)
I walked over to the officials
and told them

902
00:39:53,760 --> 00:39:55,495
that I wanted to go
to one centimeter

903
00:39:55,528 --> 00:39:57,564
- above the world record.
- And he looks like

904
00:39:57,597 --> 00:39:59,432
he is going for something big.

905
00:39:59,499 --> 00:40:01,368
(Ezra)
And we put the bar up to 191.

906
00:40:01,434 --> 00:40:02,836
Let’s go!

907
00:40:02,869 --> 00:40:05,305
(cheering)

908
00:40:05,372 --> 00:40:06,415
I hadn’t missed
in the competition

909
00:40:06,439 --> 00:40:07,841
up until that point.

910
00:40:07,874 --> 00:40:14,147
♪

911
00:40:14,180 --> 00:40:15,715
(crowd exclamations)

912
00:40:15,749 --> 00:40:16,916
♪

913
00:40:17,017 --> 00:40:18,918
(Roderick)
Make sure you take your time
with it.

914
00:40:18,952 --> 00:40:20,596
You got all... you got
all the time in the world.

915
00:40:20,620 --> 00:40:26,826
♪

916
00:40:26,860 --> 00:40:30,430
(Ezra)
I missed my first
two attempts at 191

917
00:40:30,463 --> 00:40:32,032
at this world record height.

918
00:40:32,065 --> 00:40:33,566
And I remember walking over,

919
00:40:33,600 --> 00:40:35,368
and Rod was standing next to me.

920
00:40:35,402 --> 00:40:37,537
He was telling me,
"Come on, bro.

921
00:40:37,570 --> 00:40:40,306
We came all the way to Paris
just to win a world title

922
00:40:40,373 --> 00:40:41,641
and not break the world record?

923
00:40:41,708 --> 00:40:43,043
You can clear this height.

924
00:40:43,076 --> 00:40:43,977
What are we doing?"

925
00:40:44,044 --> 00:40:47,414
♪

926
00:40:47,480 --> 00:40:49,349
This is my third attempt
at the world record.

927
00:40:49,382 --> 00:40:50,884
I’m gonna have won a world title

928
00:40:50,950 --> 00:40:53,687
and be pissed if I don’t break
the world record.

929
00:40:53,753 --> 00:40:55,388
(man)
So, Ezra Frech,

930
00:40:55,422 --> 00:40:58,258
with a world champion
in his corner,

931
00:40:58,324 --> 00:41:00,894
third and final attempt now.

932
00:41:00,927 --> 00:41:05,765
♪

933
00:41:05,799 --> 00:41:08,034
And this time he’s made it!

934
00:41:08,068 --> 00:41:10,070
As for Ezra Frech,

935
00:41:10,136 --> 00:41:12,706
his time is now!

936
00:41:12,739 --> 00:41:16,309
The advice from
Roderick Townsend was perfect.

937
00:41:16,376 --> 00:41:19,579
And Ezra Frech has added
one centimeter

938
00:41:19,612 --> 00:41:22,382
to the world record
that stuck for four years.

939
00:41:22,449 --> 00:41:26,820
♪

940
00:41:26,853 --> 00:41:28,655
(Ezra)
I went back over
to the officials

941
00:41:28,688 --> 00:41:30,090
and told them
that I wanted to go

942
00:41:30,123 --> 00:41:31,458
at four centimeters higher.

943
00:41:31,524 --> 00:41:32,992
(man)
He wants to go on.

944
00:41:33,026 --> 00:41:34,994
He wants to go to 195.

945
00:41:35,061 --> 00:41:37,831
♪

946
00:41:37,864 --> 00:41:40,667
(Ezra)
Took first attempt, missed it.

947
00:41:40,700 --> 00:41:42,469
(man)
Uncharted territory.

948
00:41:42,535 --> 00:41:43,803
New heights.

949
00:41:48,375 --> 00:41:52,746
♪

950
00:41:52,812 --> 00:41:55,248
(man)
191, the new world record.

951
00:41:55,281 --> 00:41:57,984
Going for 195.

952
00:41:58,051 --> 00:42:00,186
This man is superman!

953
00:42:00,253 --> 00:42:02,055
♪

954
00:42:02,122 --> 00:42:05,225
Ezra Frech is unstoppable!

955
00:42:05,258 --> 00:42:08,962
♪

956
00:42:09,029 --> 00:42:11,040
(Ezra)
It’s just one of the most
special moments of my career,

957
00:42:11,064 --> 00:42:14,668
getting to win a world title
and break the world record

958
00:42:14,734 --> 00:42:18,171
in front of my family,
in front of my friends.

959
00:42:18,238 --> 00:42:20,674
(uplifting music)

960
00:42:20,740 --> 00:42:22,542
♪

961
00:42:22,609 --> 00:42:24,444
There always is
that little bit of doubt,

962
00:42:24,477 --> 00:42:25,679
that little bit of insecurity

963
00:42:25,745 --> 00:42:27,781
that maybe you’re not
who you say you are.

964
00:42:27,881 --> 00:42:31,017
Maybe when it comes down to it,
you’re not that guy.

965
00:42:31,051 --> 00:42:32,619
(soft music)

966
00:42:32,652 --> 00:42:34,921
What happened
at world championships in 2023

967
00:42:34,954 --> 00:42:38,391
was me validating to myself
that I am that guy

968
00:42:38,491 --> 00:42:41,127
when it matters.

969
00:42:41,194 --> 00:42:42,194
Look at the screensaver.

970
00:42:42,228 --> 00:42:43,797
"Never again."

971
00:42:43,830 --> 00:42:46,032
That’s a photo of the medalists
in Tokyo.

972
00:42:46,132 --> 00:42:47,367
I’m not in that photo.

973
00:42:47,434 --> 00:42:48,935
Never again. Never again.

974
00:42:48,968 --> 00:42:51,338
I vowed when I walked
off the track in Tokyo,

975
00:42:51,371 --> 00:42:53,907
I said, "I will never walk away
from a major championship

976
00:42:53,940 --> 00:42:57,210
without a medal
until the day I retire."

977
00:42:57,243 --> 00:42:58,712
This is the beginning of that.

978
00:42:58,778 --> 00:43:00,847
I am grateful and honored
to come out here

979
00:43:00,880 --> 00:43:02,892
and win the world title,
this means the world to me,

980
00:43:02,916 --> 00:43:05,051
but I am... I am not satisfied.

981
00:43:05,118 --> 00:43:06,453
Paralympic gold is next.

982
00:43:06,519 --> 00:43:07,253
We’ll be back here next year,

983
00:43:07,287 --> 00:43:10,290
and I plan to do the exact same.

984
00:43:10,357 --> 00:43:11,424
Oh.

985
00:43:11,491 --> 00:43:13,259
(indistinct)

986
00:43:13,326 --> 00:43:15,195
(Roderick)
You did it, man.

987
00:43:15,228 --> 00:43:17,163
(indistinct chatter)

988
00:43:17,197 --> 00:43:18,832
♪

989
00:43:18,898 --> 00:43:21,134
- I missed you.
- You guys did it.

990
00:43:24,270 --> 00:43:26,840
(dramatic music)

991
00:43:26,906 --> 00:43:28,108
♪

992
00:43:28,141 --> 00:43:30,777
(Jamal)
It feels like
another day at work.

993
00:43:30,844 --> 00:43:33,213
(Wilma)
To do the quad, it gets boring.

994
00:43:33,246 --> 00:43:34,347
It’s a grind.

995
00:43:34,414 --> 00:43:36,016
If you have to live it
day and day,

996
00:43:36,082 --> 00:43:37,884
those four years
seems like a lot.

997
00:43:37,951 --> 00:43:41,421
(Josie)
It’s just physically taxing
and exhausting.

998
00:43:41,454 --> 00:43:43,323
(man)
Ezra Frech, dethroned.

999
00:43:43,390 --> 00:43:45,334
(Ezra)
I don’t know if I’ve ever had
anger like this

1000
00:43:45,358 --> 00:43:46,526
in my entire life.

1001
00:43:46,559 --> 00:43:48,928
(Jamal)
Do I even really need to do
the whole Paris thing?

1002
00:43:48,962 --> 00:43:49,763
Honestly.

1003
00:43:49,829 --> 00:43:52,298
♪

1004
00:43:52,365 --> 00:43:54,868
(electronic music)

1005
00:43:54,934 --> 00:44:02,934
♪

1006
00:44:09,849 --> 00:44:17,849
♪

1007
00:44:24,831 --> 00:44:29,803
♪

1008
00:44:29,869 --> 00:44:37,869
♪

1009
00:44:44,851 --> 00:44:49,823
♪

1010
00:44:49,889 --> 00:44:57,889
♪

1011
00:45:04,871 --> 00:45:09,843
♪

1012
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1013
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1014
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1015
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1016
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1016
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