Roderick Townsend-Roberts

Roderick Townsend-Roberts (born July 1, 1992) is an American Paralympic athlete. At the 2020 Summer Paralympics he set a high jump world record (2.15 m) and won gold in high jump, silver in long jump.^[2][3][4]

Roderick Townsend-Roberts

Townsend-Roberts at the 2015 Parapan American Games
Personal information
Born	(1992-07-01) July 1, 1992 (age 33) Stockton, California, U.S.[1]
Height	6 ft 7 in (201 cm)[1]
Weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Sport
Sport	Paralympic athletics
Disability class	T46/47/F46/47
Event(s)	Sprint, long jump, high jump, triple jump
Medal record Representing the  United States Paralympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro Long jump T47 2016 Rio de Janeiro High jump T47 2020 Tokyo High jump T47 2024 Paris High jump T47 2020 Tokyo Long jump T47 World Championships 2015 Doha High jump T47 2017 London High jump T47 2019 Dubai High jump T47 2023 Paris High jump T47 2024 Kobe High jump T47 2015 Doha Long jump T47 2015 Doha Triple jump T47 2015 Doha 4×100 m T42-47 2023 Paris Long jump T47 Parapan American Games 2015 Toronto High jump T42/44/47 2015 Toronto Long jump T47

Career

He won the long jump and high jump events at the 2016 Rio Paralympics^[5] and 2015 Parapan American Games. In 2015 he set two world records (2.07 and 2.12 m) and won the world title in the high jump in his disability class.^[6] Townsend-Roberts cleared 2.14 m (7 ft 1⁄4 in) at the 2019 Mt. SAC Relays to take his world record over 7 feet.^[7]

Townsend-Roberts sustained permanent nerve damage to his right arm and shoulder at birth.^[8] He played football for two years at Lincoln High School in Stockton, California, and served as the team captain in 2009. He has a degree in communications from Boise State University and used to work as an athletics coach at Northern Arizona University. He currently lives in Kentucky with his wife Tynita Butts.^[1]