'Born To Lose, Built To Win': Nick Mayhugh On Turning Pain Into Paralympic Power

Nick Mayhugh isn't just one of the fastest men in Paralympic history, but he's a living embodiment of perseverance. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 14 after a seizure revealed a stroke he'd suffered in utero, Mayhugh was told he would never play sports again. Instead, he turned that devastating prognosis into fuel, becoming a three-time Paralympic gold medalist and American record holder with his sights now set on the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games. Speaking exclusively with The Blast, Nick Mayhugh opened up about his journey from heartbreak to heroics, revealing how family, faith, and a golden retriever named Melo keep him grounded as he prepares to make history again.

When doctors first delivered the life-changing news, 14-year-old Nick was sitting beside his parents, a moment seared into his memory forever. "The first thing I thought was to look at them, and I could just see the life drain out of them," he recalled. "My immediate thought was about my parents… whatever was going to happen to me was going to happen. But once it settled in, all I could think was, 'When can I play again?'"

For a teenager who had devoted his life to soccer, the diagnosis was a gut punch. But instead of accepting defeat, Mayhugh decided to walk out of that office that would define the rest of his life. "I didn't want to be treated any different," he said. "Being labeled disabled at 14 carried a negative connotation. I didn't want sympathy. I just wanted to prove I could still compete."

Convincing doctors and coaches to give him another chance wasn't easy. "It was me convincing the doctors to convince the coaches that it was safe and okay for me to play," he explained. "And it wasn't, but I was stubborn."

Doctors required him to wear a soft rugby-style helmet for protection. "I went out and bought one, put it on, and immediately took it off," he laughed. "It was the ugliest thing on me. My mom got a good laugh out of it."

What followed was years of persistence, grit, and transformation, from being told he'd never play again to standing atop the podium as one of the world's fastest Paralympians. "I had a decision to make that day," he reflected. "Looking back, I think I made the right one."

Fast-forward to today, and Mayhugh continues to push limits most would shy away from. Despite battling a serious foot injury, he broke the American record in the long jump at the 2025 World Athletics Championships. "That's kind of been my M.O., my entire career, pushing through pain," he admitted. "There's always something to deal with. If I didn't have the boot on, nobody would have known I was hurt."

His Orlando-based team of doctors and coaches carefully designed a recovery plan to help him compete safely without risking permanent damage. "It was very carefully scripted and organized," he said. "Given the circumstances, I'm proud of what we were able to do."

When he's not training, Mayhugh enjoys downtime with his golden retriever. "He's the best," he smiled. "He wakes me up around six, and when I'm in my offseason, I finally get to focus on him again. He's in season when I'm not."

For Mayhugh, training isn't just physical, but it's mental. "It's easy to get overly focused on one area," he said. "You have a bad day and you dwell on it, or you have a great day and get too comfortable. My coaches and doctors keep me grounded."

He also finds peace in stepping away from the noise. "When I get home, I disconnect, go for a walk, play with my dog, and read. My work is on my phone, so I make myself put it down. You don't need to see what happened in the last hour, nothing happened!" he laughed.

That mindset, one of humility and balance, is part of what has kept Mayhugh steady through the ups and downs of elite competition. "People have seen my highs and lows," he said. "Tokyo was euphoric, three gold medals, hearing the national anthem. Then there were setbacks in Paris and Worlds. But I've realized it's about more than sport. What I do off the track tells a greater story."

As Paralympic athletes continue to gain visibility, Mayhugh is determined to change the conversation. "We're just normal people," he said. "The biggest misconception is that people feel bad for us. I want fans to treat us like any other athletes, cheer, boo, argue, and be passionate. That's what the sport needs."

He laughs, recalling moments where fans hesitate to react. "It's okay to laugh when something happens. We do! The Paralympics will really have made it when we have fan rivalries and haters. That's when you know people truly care."

Mayhugh's passion for growing the sport is rooted in his own discovery. "I didn't even know what the Paralympics were until I was 22," he said. "Three years later, I was competing on the world's biggest stage. It's come a long way, and LA 2028 will be massive."

When the 2028 Paralympic Games arrive in Los Angeles, it won't just be about medals for Nick Mayhugh, but it will be about legacy and love. "It's not about the medal anymore," he said. "It's about competing in front of my family. They couldn't be in Tokyo, but they'll be there in LA. That will be the most special feeling ever."

He sums up his journey with the words tattooed on his ribs: "Born to lose, Built to win." "I was born in a world that wasn't meant for me," he said. "But I built myself to win. And if I can inspire even one person along the way. Then I've already won."