Ray Martin wins gold in men's 100-meter at Paralympics
Division of Disability Resources & Educational Services
University of Illinois Paralympian Ray Martin, who has won two silver medals at the Tokyo Paralympics, won his first gold Friday in the men’s 100-meter dash.
Martin finished in 16.99 seconds en route to his first gold medal of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games and his seventh gold medal of his Paralympic career. He now has 10 total Paralympic medals.
“This feels amazing. The last two events [400-meter and 1500-meter] I came out with a silver medal here. It was hard to complain about those events, but it was not where I wanted to be which was at the top of the podium, so to get on the top of the podium in the 100-meter is an amazing feeling and to finish off my third Games with a gold medal,” he said.
His Paralympic record of 16.79 seconds he set back at the London 2012 games still stands, as does the world record of 16.41 seconds he set in 2019.
“Getting the 10th [medal] you have to say it’s special. 10 events, 10 medals. To come out with a gold [for the 10th], I’m so excited and thrilled," he said.
Martin’s teammates, Gianfranco Iannotta and fellow Illini Isaiah Rigo, finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in the same race.
With graduate school ahead for Martin, he said he wasn’t sure if he would be competing at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
“I just started grad school in the U.S. so I’m going to start focusing on that. I should finish in December 2023 which is just before Paris. I cannot rule out Paris now. We’ll see how it goes,” he said.