About Blake
Blake Leeper was born in Kingsport, Tennessee, with both legs missing below the knee. He has worn prosthetics since nine months of age. During his childhood, Blake participated in various sports such as baseball and basketball, with his dad coaching. He credits his outstanding positive attitude to the support of his family.
Blake made his international debut in 2009 in Rio de Janeiro. In 2011, he won a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the World Championships. At the 2012 Paralympic Games, he earned an individual silver medal in the 400-meter T44 event and a bronze medal in the 200m.
Blake Leeper made history by becoming the first double-leg amputee to compete at the USATF National Championships!
View Popular Speaking Topics
- Motivation
- Teamwork
Awards & Publications
More About Blake
Leeper made his international debut in 2009 in Rio de Janeiro. In 2011, he won a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the World Championships. At the 2012 Paralympic Games, he earned a silver medal in the 400m T44 event and a bronze in the 200m.
Blake made history as the first double-leg amputee to compete at the USATF National Championships. After qualifying for the semifinals with a time of 45.52 seconds in the 400m, he broke Oscar Pistorius' world record the next day with a time of 45.25 seconds.
In 2018, Blake shattered his own world record, running the 400m in 44.42 seconds, becoming the first amputee to run under 45 seconds. In 2019, he broke another world record at the USATF National Championships with a time of 44.38 seconds, making him the first amputee to qualify for the national team and world championships. That year, Blake ran the 6th fastest time in the world, competing against able-bodied runners.
Reviews
Set the bar high
- Rehab Industries
Blake was amazing! Our employees loved hearing him speak and he was very engaging and funny. They were raving about him for days after. Think he picked up 650+ fans as he takes on his next competitions this year! It was our first time having a motivational speaker and he set the bar really high!
very impressed
- Antwerp Local Schools
Blake did a wonderful job with his presentations. We are very pleased! Our students, staff, and parents enjoyed the message and commented on the inspiration they received. I was very impressed with his ability to speak to our students in Grades 3–5. Blake spoke at their level and provided strong examples and symbolisms with his message of positive living and overcoming challenges/obstacles.
Easy to work with!
- Indiana State University
Blake Leeper was amazing. He has an extremely compelling story, was amazingly humble, easy to work with, and everyone loved him and his story. If every speaker was that easy to work with, it would be a blessing. We were both honored and privileged to have him on our campus and would absolutely welcome him back.
Amazing!!!
- Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce
Blake was amazing! We had so much fun spending time with him the day before our big event at our Fun Run. He was so engaged with the kids that attended and left us all feeling inspired to think big and be great in all that we do. He was a phenomenal keynote presenter and our members loved hearing his story.
He delivers!
- Pennsylvania State Alliance of YMCAs
He delivered! Inspirational and a much-needed message. Everyone commented in the chat section about their appreciation. Thank you for your flexibility.
so inspired and motivated
- CMHB of Clinton-Eaton-Ingham Counties
The event went smoothly, and everyone was so inspired and motivated by Blake Leeper. He is an amazing young athlete and speaker. I would recommend him for any audience. Our audience was very inspired since we serve a large population with disabilities. Thank you for recommending him to us. We are going to keep track of him in hopes he will make the 2016 Olympics!
so captivating
- La Crosse Area Family YMCA (Wisconsin)
I listened to Blake's speech along with about 1,400 people in the arena; the majority were high school seniors. You could have heard a pin drop while he spoke. I've never seen young people more captivated. Blake stayed three hours past his contract time. He made over 1,000 photos with young people. I have worked in education for twenty-four years. Some of these students have been with me for five years. In that time, students who still won't look me in the eye stood in line for almost an hour just to meet Blake after listening to him speak.
A Superhero
- The McCallie School
Blake Leeper was a superhero on Friday. Incredible. Phenomenal. Can't say enough good things about him and the job he did.
Great Speaker
- Manhattan College
The event was great! So far, all the feedback from our student-athletes, coaches, and staff has been extremely positive. The enthusiasm and energy he brought will be tough to match for our future speakers (a tough task for you all at APB!).
loved hearing him speak
- Rehab Industries
Blake was amazing! Our employees loved hearing him speak and he was very engaging and funny. They were raving about him for days after. Think he picked up 650+ fans as he takes on his next competitions this year! It was our first time having a motivational speaker and he set the bar really high!
inspiring
- El Camino College
Blake Leeper delivered an inspiring presentation titled 'Running Towards Your Dreams' at El Camino College. His message resonated deeply with our students, faculty, and staff. Blake's personal story of overcoming adversity and his emphasis on perseverance and goal-setting left a lasting impact on our community.
wonderful presentation
- Antwerp Local Schools
Blake did a wonderful job with his presentations. We are very pleased!!! Our students, staff, and parents enjoyed the message and commented on the inspiration they received. I was very impressed with his ability to speak to our students in Grades 3–5. Blake spoke at their level and provided strong examples and symbolisms with his message of positive living and overcoming challenges/obstacles.
amazing!
- Indiana State University
Blake Leeper was amazing. He has an extremely compelling story, was amazingly humble, easy to work with, and everyone loved him and his story. If every speaker was that easy to work with, it would be a blessing. We were both honored and privileged to have him on our campus and would absolutely welcome him back.
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