Jeff Skiba, who trains at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, won a gold medal at the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, a quadrennial event always staged at the same track and field venue that a month earlier was home to the Olympics.
Skiba won by clearing a world record height of 6 feet, 11 inches, surpassing his previous record 6-10 3/4.
“My goal was to win a gold medal,” said Skiba, who is from Washington. “To come away with a gold medal and to hold the title of Paralympic champion, that’s the greatest achievement in our sport.”
Earlier in the summer, he was the first Paralympian to clear 7 feet at an Azusa Pacific University meet. But his mark of 7-0 1/2 isn’t considered an official world record because it wasn’t sanctioned by the International Paralympics Committee.
Skiba, 24, is a below the knee amputee who competes with a prosthetic leg. He was born without a fibula in his left leg and the limb was amputated when he was 11 months old.
One of his future goals is to qualify for the 2012 USA Track and Field Olympic trials by clearing 7-2 1/2.
Congratulations Jeff on being the San Diego Hall of Champions 2008 Challenged Athlete of the Year.
Posted on March 14, 2009 by admin
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