From No Legs to Double Paralympic Gold: ‪@RichardWhiteheadMBE‬ on Rejection & Reinvention

Born without legs above the knee, ‪@RichardWhiteheadMBE‬ was told he couldn’t race the marathon at the Paralympics. So he did the unthinkable: switched to sprinting—and won gold in the 200m at London 2012 and Rio 2016 (plus Tokyo silver). Then he returned to the roads to break the double-amputee marathon world record—most recently 2:41 at 49. In this conversation with EMMY-winner Dr. Tom, Richard shares how to turn rejection into reinvention, why disability is a resource, and how to live your “27th mile”—the part after the finish line where you turn effort into change. We cover: • Why getting rejected by classification became his competitive edge • The mindset shift from 26.2 to 200 meters • Training, toughness, and the “pain train” behind a world record at 49 • Confidence you can keep: team, patience, communication, presence • Volunteering, inclusion, and why showing up reshapes communities • The 27th mile: turning results into real life power 🎙️ Listen on: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5aLgxxn... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rejectionre... 🎙️ Hosted by Dr. Tom | @RejectionRehab (IG / TikTok / YouTube) | @TomFlaherty (IG) Guest: Richard Whitehead MBE | @richard_whitehead_mbe | richardwhiteheadmbe.com