At the Bison Open meet two weeks ago, sophomore T45 Paralympic sprinter Rayven Sample ’24 ran an unofficial world record time of 1:57.69 for the 800m, beating the official record of 1:59.30. To officially own the World Record in this event, he will need to run a time faster than the 2013 World Record at a World Para Athletics approved meet. 

Along with this accomplishment, Sample also ran in the finals at the Tokyo Paralympics on Sep. 4. Sample finished eighth in the T47 400m final in Tokyo.

“I have no doubt that this is possible. The time I ran at the Bison open was my first 800m race since junior year of high school. If anything, I would expect future times to likely be faster,” Sample said. 

Sample even suggested that he was holding back in the race.

“I would say I ran the race overly cautious as I was unsure of what to expect. I was almost relearning how to run an 800 while I was running the 800. My race strategy going into that day was to run splits of 27 then 28 to finish the first 400 in 55 seconds. I followed this plan exactly hitting near perfect splits. After that first lap, I knew it would be all heart. And this is really where I feel like I can improve a lot going forward, because now I know what it will feel like and how to do better,” Sample said. 

The Paralympics is a periodic series of international multi-sport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities. A psychology and education double-major, Sample spends a great amount of time training in the weight room and on the track. 

A recent video from the Bison’s track and field Instagram highlighted Sample, asking him to discuss what it was like competing in Tokyo. Sample talked about how, when he arrived at the University, that it felt like home and that he made the right decision because of his supportive teammates. 

“Every race is a chance to get closer to that promise… to show what I am about and what I have trained for. For me, it wasn’t about Rayven Sample versus the world, it was about Rayven Sample and everyone who has been along my side,” Sample said. 

“Track and field is my passion… for me it always felt like I was being me,” Sample added.