Monday, August 9, 2004 11:55 AM CDT
Olympian wheelchair racer Driscoll credits God for success
By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
CHARLESTON -- Olympian Jean Driscoll has never forgotten how to offer thanks for winning two silver medals and winning eight straight Boston Marathons.
She just bows her head and prays.
"God coaches us every day in our lives," Driscoll said Sunday while recalling her wheelchair athletic accomplishments in some of the highest profile athletic events in the world. "When we go to Heaven we will receive a crown, not a medal. And that crown will last forever."
The 38-year-old wheelchair racer from the 1992 and 1996 games and eight-time winner of the Boston Wheelchair Marathon reminded an audience in Charleston that keeping the faith is the straightest route to glory.
"You have to qualify to be in the Olympics," Driscoll said during her presentation aimed at the young people gathered in the First Baptist Church of Charleston on Sunday morning. "But Christ has already died for us so in God's realm we already qualify."
The Champaign resident travels the country as a speaker for the Illinois Fellowship of Christian Athletes, an organization she joined while attending the University of Illinois, where she earned degrees in speech communication and rehabilitation administration.
"I love staying close to home with these visits," Driscoll said. "It is such a joy to share the excitement, especially with young people."
Youth from First Baptist presented a Vacation Bible School program Sunday in the church with an Olympic theme that included humor and lessons on how different events work. Children came up to the stage to reinforce scripture lessons to show that sacrifice and dedication can overcome many obstacles in life.
That was a fitting theme for Driscoll, who was born with spina bifida. At 14, she had a hip injury that led to surgery and eventually left her using a wheelchair for mobility.
Then she turned to God in 1986 and soon the race was on, almost personifying the scripture from Isaiah 40:31, "They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar as with eagle's wings."
She became a wheelchair athlete and started buzzing by her competition. She started competing in racing wheelchairs that look like high-performance dragsters.
Driscoll built herself into a racing machine with grueling workouts and weight room sessions where she pumped up to 210 pounds -- quite an accomplishment for a 110-pound athlete.
"I would do workouts three times a day and I used my arms to push my chair, so I had to be strong," Driscoll said.
She recalled the bittersweet moment of being beaten for the Gold Medal in the 800-meter race at Barcelona in 1992, and then learning she had won the silver medal by a hundredth of a second.
Then at Atlanta in 1996, she won the silver medal again and recalled the thrill of watching 86,000 people stand up and cheer when her name was announced during the medal ceremony. She added that the stadium was full at the time as Americans were awaiting a race by Olympian Michael Johnson in a track event.
"That moment gave me chills and there were tears in my eyes," she said Sunday.
Driscoll said her athletic accomplishments have gained her fame and recognition across the globe, especially with her wins in Boston and the Olympics, as well as being named No. 25 on the list of Top 100 Female Athletes of the Century by Sports Illustrated for Women. Her life story has been published in the book "Determined to Win: The Jean Driscoll Story."
Her story was also chronicled more than a decade ago with the PBS documentary, "Racing Against the Wind."
However, she told the young people as well as their parents and grandparents in the church that there are higher goals to attain.
"It was an honor to be in the Olympic Games, but the bigger honor is to live your life for God and for Jesus," she said.
Contact Herb Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.
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