American track and field Paralympian Brittni Mason is heading into her first Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020 only two years after learning she was eligible for this event. Now, she will be looking for success at the 100m and 200m dashes.
The Cleveland, Ohio, native has beenattached to sports for almost her entire life, even though she might have not known she would be standing here by now, just a few steps away from Paralympic glory.
Brittni Mason has one of those inspiring stories that show how living with a disability couldbe like,dissipating misconceptions and proving how to overcome any circumstances.
Brittni Mason: Story
Brittni Mason during the Desert Challenge Games in May 2021. (Getty)
Early in her life, Brittni Mason got involved with sports to help her dealwith the difficulties in her left shoulder and arm, and she has been involved in a wide range of disciplines since then, before embarking on track and field.
She went through gymnastics, swimming, and even was a ballerina before joining physical contact sports. Mason played basketball for a while, and it became clear to her that sports were helpful for her arm.
At 10 years of age, she began her path ontrack and field, where she would go on to have a fantastic – and early – rise. After settinghigh school records and winningchampionships, Mason continued her way to success in college, where she got to know she was eligible for the Paralympics.
Brittni Mason: Disability
Brittni Mason celebrating her win in the 100m in 2019 Dubai World Para Athletics Championships. (Getty)
Brittni Mason was born with Erb’s palsy, a form of brachial plexus palsy that usually occurs during a difficult delivery of the baby. It affects the nerves that control the muscles of the arm, causing loss of motion.
It has affected Mason’s left shoulder and arm, but sports played a big part in helping her using her arm more and battling with itsrange of motion. Now, the Eastern Michigan product is ready to keep on writing history.
Brittni Mason: World Record
Brittni Mason on her way to breaking a world record in Dubai 2019. (Getty)
Even though she got involved inthe 2019 DubaiWorld Para Athletics Championships on relatively short notice, with less than a month of anticipation. However, that didn’t prevent her from succeeding.
Brittni Mason not only stole the show in Dubai, winning gold, but also set the world record for the 100m dash with 11.89, surpassing Deja Young‘s 11.92 mark. There’s still a long way to go for the 23-year-old, who already has a world record under her belt but will try and claim Paralympic glory in Tokyo.
