Through the Storm with Paralympic Medalist John Register
Since childhood, sports have been John Register’s passion. A born athlete, he began swimming competitively at a young age, and soon added baseball, football and eventually track and field to his repertoire.
After high school, John earned a scholarship to the University of Arkansas, where he became a four-time All-American — once in the NCAA long jump, once in the 55m high hurdles and twice in the 4x400m relay teams. Upon earning his BA in Communications in 1988, John enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he proudly served for six years.
In 1988, John qualified for the Olympic trials in the 110m hurdles, and again in 1992 for the 400m hurdles. With these accomplishments, he seemed destined to compete as a member of the 1996 Olympic Team. On May 17, 1994, however, his life would be forever altered with one misstep over the hurdle.
A faulty landing hyper-extended John’s left knee, resulting in a severed popliteal artery. An attempt to reconstruct the artery using a vein from his right leg failed; within days, gangrene turned the muscle black, and amputation was suggested. The alternative was a useless left knee and ankle, which would restrict his movements to a wheelchair for mobility.
While watching closed-circuit television in the Athletes’ Village during his first Paralympics, John observed athletes with one leg running and jumping on the track. Excited by what he saw, an idea was born, and after being fitted with a running prosthesis, he set a goal of competing in track and field at the 2000 Paralympic Games, in Sydney, Australia.
Not only did John begin to run, he began to make history! Two years after his first run with an artificial leg, he earned the Silver medal in the long jump at the 2000 Paralympic Games and set the American long jump record in the process, with a distance of 5.41 meters (17.8 feet). He also sprinted to 5th place in both the 100 and 200m dashes.
In 2003, he accepted a position with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), and birthed the USOC Paralympic Military Program, which uses sports to assist in the recovery of wounded, ill or injured service members. The program, which serves both active duty and retired military personnel, has impacted thousands in creating their new normal.
John Register is now a Hall of Fame speaker, motivator, and world-class human being advocating for healthy leadership and organizations. He lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with his wife Alice.
