Story: Track and field runner Taylor Talbot began losing her sight at 8 years old from a rare degenerative eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa. Now 20 years old, she has lost all sight in her right eye and only has about 5% tunnel vision in her left, but is at the peak of her athletic career. In 2021, she qualified for the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, only to have her qualification revoked after a miscalculation. She fought for her spot to stay on Team USA and through her emotional determination, family support and athletic grit, ended up competing alongside her teammates in Tokyo in the 100- and 400-meter dashes.

Caption: Talbot uses her cane as her youngest brother, Tyson (9) watches. She has been using it since her freshman year of high school, even though she needed it when she was younger. “I was really insecure at first because I didn’t want people to see me as just a blind girl,” Talbot said. “I’m so much more than that, but the cane is the only thing you see at first.”

It had been Talbot’s dream of competing in the Olympics since she started running at 4 years old and had full sight. Yet as her vision worsened, her passion for running continued to grow. Throughout her training over the summer, keeping up with the standard Olympics was a constant motivation.

After originally qualifying at the Paralympic Trials in Minneapolis, Talbot's acceptance was revoked due to a 0.01% miscalculation. “Just as the reality of being a Paralympian was sinking in, it was gone,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do with myself; my whole life had been building to this moment that was suddenly taken away.”

Heartbroken as she was, Talbot wouldn’t let this be the end of her Paralympic career. “The next morning, I got up and ran eight miles because there was no way I was going to stop training,” she said. She had to assure herself that even without Tokyo, there were plenty of future opportunities to prepare for. “But it was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life.”

Days later, Talbot received another call. The International Paralympic Committee had agreed to let her back onto the team through a direct invitation. Talbot’s training increased tenfold, and she was out at the track before sunrise every morning. “I’m a Paralympian. Again,” Talbot said.

When she’s running, Talbot says she doesn’t feel blind. She just feels fast. “I can’t even see the lines, I can only hear and feel things like the wind on my face or the loud cheers of the crowd. The cheers getting louder are how I always know I’m at the finish line and I know I’ve made it.”

Off the track, Talbot plays piano and ukulele and even writes her own songs. “My coach always says running is like classical music. You can’t think too hard,” Talbot said. “I always kind of laughed at him, but I think I get it now. It’s about feeling.”

Her family has been a driving force in helping her reach her goals and adapt to her visual impairment over the years. On their front porch in Nyssa, Oregon, Talbot strums her ukulele, which she plans to take with her to Tokyo, for her three younger siblings and newborn kitten. As the oldest of four, she takes pride in upholding her responsibility to look after her brothers and sister, just as they look after her.

Talbot’s brother Ryan (17) messes with Taylor’s hair as she tries to workshop a new song she’s in the process of writing. “Just because she’s different and all famous doesn’t mean we’re not still her annoying little siblings!” Ryan joked.

Taylor’s mom, Stacie Talbot, dissects for Taylor the video she just filmed of her practice sprint, explaining errors and places to improve in her form. Stacie used to be a professional runner, so in lieu of an in-person coach due to COVID-19, she adopted this role and acts as Taylor’s eyes.