Omega Frater Jerome Singleton, Paralympic champion excels on the track, in life

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Jerome Singleton is a man of many faces. He is a Michigan man, a Morehouse man, a man of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and now a world champion.

On Wednesday, Singleton completed a journey that began at birth and culminated with him winning a gold medal at the 2011 International Paralympic Committee Athletics World Championships, in Christchurch, New Zealand. In doing so, Singleton defeated South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius, who had not lost a 100 meter race since 2004 and instantly rose to the top of his sport.

But Singleton is used to excelling at everything he does.

At 24, he has already traveled around the world and distinguished himself, not only in sports but also in the world of science. In 2005, Singleton landed an internship at NASA’s Gleen Research Center, where he worked on the Oil-Free Turbomachinery project that would be implemented in aiding the Mars Landing. Additionally, he was given the opportunity to help update a SIV (Stereo Imaging Vescroscopy) System that was being used for the early detection of cataracts. Then in 2007, through Yale University, Singleton did research at the CERN/European Organization for Nuclear Physics in Geneva, Switzerland on High Energy Particle Physics, which is widely considered the top research facility of its kind in the world.

This was followed by a stint at IAS/Park City Math Institute in Park City, Utah, where he took courses in discrete probability and mathematical physics; as well as delved into the applications of Brownian Motion.

These accomplishments alone would be noteworthy, but Singleton did them while still competing and winning at track events around the globe.

Born without a fibula in his right leg due to fibular hemimelia, doctors amputated his leg below the knee when he was 18 months old, but Singleton never allowed that to stop him in his athletic pursuits.

Hailing from Irmo, South Carolina, Singleton graduated from Dutch Fork High School, where he excelled in football and track, competing against fully able-bodied athletes in both sports. He then attended Morehouse College, where he competed on the collegiate level in track – again, against fully able bodied competitors – while double majoring in mathematics and applied physics as part of the Morehouse Dual Degree Program.

While at Morehouse, his 3.8 G.P.A. helped him gain entrance into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest academic honor society, and Beta Kappa Chi, the national science honor society.

“He’s simply the ultimate overachiever,” cites Dr. William Kevin Dancy, who served as a confidant and mentor to Singleton while he attended Morehouse. “It’s amazing how he has been able to balance so many things at once and excel in every facet of his life.”

Singleton credits his parents, Jerome Sr. and Jacqueline, for instilling a work ethic in him that emphasized education and hard work. He recently told a reporter that his father told him a long time ago, “Being an amputee, unless I was two times or three times as good as my competitors, [a coach] was always going to choose an able-bodied competitor.”  Those words have served as an inspiration and motivating factor for the younger Singleton, and he still carries them with him to this day.

In 2006, while still at Morehouse, Singleton began to compete in paralympic events, mostly in the T44 category. According to the IPC, classes 40-46 cover ambulant athletes with different levels of amputations and other disabilities, including les autres (eg. dwarfism).

Following his three years at Morehouse, Jerome attended the University of Michigan in order to complete the final two years of his Dual Degree Program. In December, he finished his studies, with an industrial engineering degree from Michigan to go along with his degree from Morehouse.

While in Ann Arbor, Singleton trained with the track team and continued to compete against the top athletes on the world stage. His athletic endeavors and academic achievements once again dazzled and inspired others.

“It’s an amazing tribute to his athletic achievement when you see someone perform at the top level,’ states Kurmmell Knox, a University of Michigan alum who befriended Singleton when he arrived in Ann Arbor. “Nobody looked at Jerome and said he was a good paralympic athlete. People look at Jerome and say he’s good period.”

“Jerome is an inspiration to everyone. His story is a great story,” said Knox. “He’s one of those people that I can tell my son about because he’s a great example of perseverance and determination.”

With so many outstanding accomplishments, it would seem easy for Singleton to adopt the bravado that is so prevalent in so many athletes today, but that’s simply not the case.

“He’s just a humble, humble guy,” notes Kyle “Scoop” Yeldell, a classmate and fraternity brother of Singleton’s from Morehouse. “He amazes me he’s done so much, but he’s always humble and soft-spoken. Jerome is the kind of person you want to see good things happen to, because of how he is as a person.”

Still, with all he’s accomplished Jerome Singleton is not done.

Following his victory in the 100, Singleton went on to earn a silver medal in both the 200 meters and the 4X100 meter relay at the World Championships. Later he told an interviewer, “I brought the Worlds back. Now it’s time to bring back the big one,” alluding to the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

And there’s no doubt that he will.

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