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Raymond Martin Ready for First Paralympics

Raymond Martin has participated in wheelchair sports since he was 5 years old and always had one goal in mind—to reach the Paralympics. Now at 18 years old, his dream will be realized as he will compete in the 2012 Paralympics in London. 

“Making the US Paralympics’ team is an amazing feeling because it's the pinnacle of sport,” Ray declared. “I'm really looking forward to just getting out there and competing to the best of my abilities. This is my first games and I'm really excited to just get some experience under my belt.”

Ray has spent the last year training extremely hard in the hopes of qualifying for the Paralympics. Despite the demands of senior year preparing to move to Illinois for college, he kept a very strict 6-day per week training schedule. All of his hard work paid off as he set a world record in the T52 200 meter with a time of 30.18 seconds during the 2012 US Paralympics’ Track & Field Trials.

For more than ten years, Ray has been a member of the North Jersey Navigators —an adaptive sports team for junior athletes with disabilities in Jersey City, NJ. With the support of Kessler Foundation, the team has progressed from a small team category to a large team. Leading the Navigators is Head Coach Jimmy Cuevas, who was also chosen as one of the wheelchair track coaches for Team USA in the Paralympics.

Through the years Jimmy has watched Ray become a world class athlete. “There are many individuals in society today who are very smart but never reach their maximum potential because of lack of dedication and perseverance, but this will never be the case with Raymond,” he stated. “His determination knows no limits, which is directly related to his commitment to excel. I’m confident that Ray will have an excellent performance at the 2012 Paralympics Games and will proudly represent the USA.”

Ray has had quite a year. He was nominated for an ESPY and received the 2012 Sports ‘N Spokes Athlete of the Year Award. In racing, Ray is the current national record holder for the 200, 400, and 800-meter events. He and the Navigators won 118 medals—88 of which were gold—set 20 national records, and placed first in the Large Team category in the 2012 National Junior Disability Championships.

While his ultimate goal is to win gold in the Paralympics, Ray is proud to just compete and represent his country. “Thinking about what I've accomplished in the past year alone is unbelievable,” he reflected. “Doing well at the Para Pan American Games, breaking two American records and one world record, and making the Paralympic team is just surreal. I'm really excited and hopefully I can take my momentum into the Games and bring back a few medals.”

Kessler Foundation will be cheering as Ray races to the finish lines in the 100, 200, 400, and 800-meter events in the London Paralympics! Read more about Raymond Martin in The Star-Ledger.