Athlete Spotlight:

John Register

Overcoming the odds to return to competition
     Not  long ago, John Register was competing as a world class athlete in track and field with a long jump record of 26 1/2 feet and a high hurdles time of 13.5 seconds.  While training for the 1994 Olympics in Atlanta, Register landed awkwardly during a hurdles drill.  The impact caused his knee to hyperextend and internally rotate, severing an artery in the process.  Blood flow to his lower leg was cut off, and amputation was inevitable as gangrene set in within three days.  Thinking back to that day, Register says "My leg was in an 'L' shape and I knew my career had hit a serious speed bump" (FCA Sharing the Victory).

    Many would view Register's tragedy as a road block rather than a mere speed bump.  The psychological impact of losing a limb is enormous, especially for an athlete.  Many athletes turn to alcohol or drugs, but Register chose to be the same person that he was before the accident.  When asked how he dealt with the accident, Register said "I lost it for about 20 minutes, then I knew it was time to move on.  I understood immediately that this was for a specific reason.  God had just chosen me to go through it" (FCA Sharing the Victory). 

    Along with his faith, modern technology has helped Register to return to professional competition.  Register's first prosthesis was stiff and difficult to run in.  Remembering his first attempt to return to running, he says "I started lumbering down the track, and had no control over the leg.  It was going all over the place, whipping to the left and to the right.  I just couldn't get it right"  (Plastics Engineering).  

    Register now uses a prosthesis with a soft, flexible plastic socket with special openings that allow for muscle hypertrophy during training.  His muscles are able to expand and contract, and he uses this energy to move his knee for the next step.  Recalling his first attempt with the new leg, Register says "I experienced for the first time since my accident the natural motion of running...all the motor, muscle and sensory mechanisms came back to my brain, and it has improved my performance" (Plastics Engineering).

    Thanks to his faith and the latest technology, Register has returned to competition at the world-class level.  He competed last summer in the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games and won the silver medal in the long jump, tying the world record and setting a new American record. 

    With proper care and training, even an injury as devastating as amputation is no match for an athlete with the willpower and dedication to return to competition.

     

 

 

 

 

Above: Register trains on his latest leg. 

 

 

 

 

For more information about John Register and other athletes like him, visit the Fellowship of Christian Athletes website at: www.fca.org

 

 

 

back to table of contents