Nick Mayhugh has confronted his fair proportion of private and bodily challenges as a younger man who went on to defy the chances as a three-time Paralympic gold medalist, however fortunately, this athlete received’t decelerate for anybody. With the 2025 New Delhi World Championships in his crosshairs, Mayhugh talks M&F although his coaching and supreme purpose of accumulating extra gold on the LA 2028 Summer time Paralympics.
“I had my first seizure after I was 14,” explains Mayhugh, reflecting on how this occasion would lastly result in his questions being answered. Previous to that day, he’d been an lively and expert soccer participant, however had all the time suffered with a way that the left aspect of his physique wasn’t as sturdy as the correct and didn’t react in the identical method. As a rising boy, there have been hopes that these feeling would rectify, however MRIs performed after his seizure clarified his situation. At first, docs thought that the black spot that confirmed up throughout an X-ray on this mind may very well be a tumor, however finally it was decided that Mayhugh was struggling with cerebral palsy, doubtlessly introduced on by a traumatic delivery.
Having solely simply bought began with D.C. United’s Youth Academy, docs instructed Mayhugh that he ought to by no means play soccer, or any sort of sports activities once more. His household understandably felt a robust obligation to guard him from the chance of bodily exertion. “That subsequent six months was the toughest of my whole life,” he shares with M&F. “It was very darkish; it was very unhappy and miserable. I wasn’t in a position to go to highschool, I wasn’t in a position to play sports activities, so I actually simply locked myself in my room.”
Not solely did Mayhugh should cope with the analysis, however he additionally needed to familiarize yourself with side-effects from his remedy, like fatigue, dizziness, and temper swings. As his well being stabilized nevertheless, the younger upstart set about convincing his coaches that he may play soccer one once more. “For months on finish, I simply walked forwards and backwards in a straight line in my room,” he explains, in an effort to cover the limp in his left leg. “I needed to change the way in which I performed,” he provides. “I needed to be extra cautious and never put my head in conditions that I often would.” Mercifully, changing into lively once more would increase Mayhugh’s confidence, and along with his household supporting him and his renewed sense of goal, the younger athlete started to blaze a path.
Firmly again behind a soccer ball and making the U.S. Para 7-a-side Nationwide Crew, Mayhugh determined to take his operating expertise and apply them to trace and area. His Paralympic debut got here on the delayed Tokyo video games in 2021, and he smashed it, sprinting to a 100m and 200m world report, and incomes a further gold within the combined 4x100m relay, plus a silver within the 400m run.
Mayhugh’s success can be a double-edged sword nevertheless, as officers later reclassified him to a much less impaired class, shifting him from T37 to T38. That transfer put the athlete in a harder class as he headed into the Paris World Championships in 2023. Nonetheless, regardless of the added stress, Mayhugh was nonetheless in a position to take the rostrum with a bronze for the 100m dash. It wasn’t gold although, and Mayhugh reveals that he discovered himself depressed at his perceived drop within the standings in Paris, feeling additional disillusioned that his classification was modified due to his earlier outcomes. “That had type of a detrimental impact on me,” he displays, however Mayhugh additionally
notes that this has been a time the place he’s realized to place his life into perspective, appreciating the issues that he has achieved, whereas striving for extra medals however not letting sports activities turn out to be the be-all and end-all of all the pieces. “I’m in a method higher place now than I used to be,” he shares, including that he’s extremely motivated for the upcoming 2025 Para Athletics Would Championships in New Delhi, India. As a eager lengthy jumper, Mayhugh jumped his private finest with 6.19 meters during the 2024 U.S. Paralympic Trials, and so he’ll compete in each the T38 lengthy bounce and the T38 100m spring this September at these championships in India. It’s a part of his plan to turn out to be the absolute best athlete on the 2028 LA Paralympic Video games.
Nick Mayhugh Battles Cerebral Palsy With Power and Conditioning
Whereas cerebral palsy is a everlasting neurological situation, “there’s so much you are able to do,” explains Mayhugh, providing hope to those that additionally endure. Certainly, a scientific review conducted in 2020 concluded that, “Excessive-quality proof signifies that resistance coaching can enhance muscular power in people with CP, with some preliminary proof of structural and neurological diversifications.” Whereas power and conditioning will not be a one-size-fits-all resolution, and have to be tailor-made to the person, most specialists agree that train offers psychological and bodily advantages.
“Everybody’s analysis is totally different. There’s no two alike. Will I ever run as quick as Noah Lyles? Completely not, and that’s alright,” says Mayhugh. “However so long as I’m pushing myself and my left aspect to that bodily functionality on and off the monitor, and within the gymnasium and power coaching, it’s about making an attempt to perform a little greater than I feel I can.”
The inspirational athlete says that whereas he can not repair his mind harm, he can attempt to enhance his skills by way of repetition, encouraging his mind-muscle connection to fireplace as rapidly as attainable. “It’s very irritating for somebody who simply desires to be excellent,” he admits, noting that he’s pressured to deal with the annoyance of dropping a dumbbell infrequently, however Mayhugh has additionally discovered that resistance coaching is a good device for the monitor. The game’s star says that isometric workouts, the place one set of muscle groups is utilized in opposition with one other, like bicep curls or planks are of big profit. Mayhugh additionally undertakes a variety of unilateral work, utilizing one arm or one leg to assist along with his symmetry.
“I really like Bulgarian cut up squats, that’s one factor that I do nearly every single day,” he shares. “Not even with weight, I’ll simply attempt to see how lengthy I can maintain a single leg RDL, or something that I can attempt — simply to load my left aspect a little bit extra to assist with my stability.”
Mayhugh has additionally discovered that receiving small bodily faucets on his unresponsive areas helps to activate his muscle groups. “One of many issues that actually frustrates me is I can’t really feel my left glute,” he reveals. “So, after I’m within the beginning blocks, and I attempt to push out, or after I’m striding, driving, operating, these frontside mechanics, I’m making an attempt to activate my glutes, however I can’t really feel my left glute, so it’s onerous for me to essentially use it.”
To help with activation, his coaches take a finger and faucet the realm in want of a response. When on his personal within the gymnasium, Mayhugh explains that he takes a finger and faucets his glute, or his hamstring, or his arms throughout these bicep curls, and this helps with making his contractions. To additional work on his stability, Mayhugh strengthens his Achillies and decrease legs with calf raises.
Trying straight forward to India, Nick Mayhugh will not be solely happy with the progress that he’s made throughout his personal expertise with cerebral palsy however he’s additionally helped to lift cash and consciousness in order that others could get the help that they should observe in his quick footsteps. This athlete has all the time worn his incapacity as a badge of honor. Whether or not he’s carrying the sample of a mind scan in his hair or posting motivational messages on social media, Mayhugh understands the facility of constructing optimistic selections.
“I all the time encourage individuals to only be light with themselves, ?” he tells M&F. “To know that it’s okay to not be okay, and that’s my largest message. No person’s excellent by any means however so long as you’re doing one thing every single day to raised the state of affairs that you simply’re in, then life will get higher.”
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