OlympicTalk · May 16, 2015
Blind pole vaulter Charlotte Brown finishes third at state meet
AP
A legally blind 17-year-old pole vaulter earned a bronze medal in the Texas high school Class 4A state championship meet Saturday.
Charlotte Brown, a senior from Emory Rains High School, cleared 11 feet, 6 inches, in Austin. In 2014, she tied for fourth after missing all three of her attempts at 11 feet, 6 inches.
“I finally did it,” Brown said, according to The Associated Press. “If I could send a message to anybody, it’s not about pole vaulting and it’s not about track. It’s about finding something that makes you happy despite whatever obstacles are in your way.”
The New York Times and The Associated Press profiled Brown before she finished eighth at the 2013 state meet. From the AP: