Jonathan Gore

Started: He began running in junior high school. He also competed in the long jump at collegiate level. He began running on a regular prosthesis several months after his 2018 accident, and started using his running prosthesis on the day he got it in June 2019. (easthamptonstar.com, 23 Sep 2021; teamusa.org, 01 Jul 2021, 07 Jun 2021) Reason: He initially took up running due to his mother's involvement in the sport. "My mum used to run track in high school and was really good, so they asked her to coach. So I decided to just go out and run. I could have let this injury break me, but God got me through it. I just got to the point where I was just like, 'Forget the goals. I'm just going to go race' and then everything else will fall in line." (wvva.com, 18 Jun 2021) Awards: He was named to the All-Decade Team of Concord University in 2020. During his non-Para athletics career at the university, he was named 2017 Mountain East Conference MVP. (cumountainlions.com, 31 Dec 2017; gofundme.com, 01 Jun 2021) Additional Info: COACHING, MOVE TO FLORIDA He held the position of assistant athletics coach at Concord University in Athens, WV, United States of America, from 2020 to 2023 before moving to Florida to focus on his training for the 2024 Paralympic Games. "I come from a high school that didn't teach us anything about technique/form. If you're somewhat fast, you run sprints and if you're slower you run distance. Then I came to Concord, where coach [Mike] Cox and RJ Anderson taught form, and I started to finally come into my own as an athlete. I wanted to coach so I can teach athletes what I didn't know, so they can be successful." (cumountainlions.com, 18 Jul 2024, 02 Oct 2020; Instagram profile, 25 Nov 2023; teamusa.org, 01 Jul 2021) FURTHER EDUCATION In 2022 he graduated with a master's degree in health promotion from Concord University in Athens, WV, United States of America. (Facebook profile, 28 Jul 2024; LinkedIn profile, 31 May 2022)