Have you ever heard the saying, ‘when life gives you lemons, make lemonade?’ This saying helps one realize that life is full of challenges and the best way of overcoming them is by keeping an optimistic view. This is exactly what Harry Jerome did when life threw a lemon his way.
Harry Jerome has gone down in history as one of the most outstanding athletes to ever represent Canada. He was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan on September 30th, 1940. Jerome moved with his family to North Vancouver at the age of twelve. Six years later, he successfully broke a thirty one year old record set by Percy Williams in the 220 yard sprint! Soon after he was selected by the University of Oregon to receive a sports scholarship and made a name for himself as the world’s fastest man.
As an athlete, Jerome represented Canada in many sports races, some of which included two Pan-American Games and two Commonwealth games. However, in 1962, Jerome suffered from a fatal injury to his left quadriceps muscle when he severed it while at the commonwealth games in Australia. Many orthopedic surgeons concluded that he would never be able to run again.
Despite this disheartening news, Harry Jerome kept his spirits up and underwent several months of physiotherapy before being able to return back to racing at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. This return was later recognized as the “greatest comeback ever”. During the 1964 Olympics, Jerome astonished the crowed by winning a bronze medal in the 100 meter dash and narrowly missing another bronze in the 200 meter dash. After claiming a bronze in the Olympics, Harry Jerome went on to compete in the Pan-American games and the Commonwealth games. At both of these events, Jerome won gold medals.
I believe that we can all learn from Harry Jerome, who despite disheartening news continued to persevere until he achieved his dream of being able to run once again. His example shows us that nothing is impossible if you try. This is why Harry Jerome is a truly inspirational athlete and a hero to us all.