Elexis “Lex” Gillette is a blind Paralympic athlete from Raleigh, North Carolina who competes for the United States in T11 and F11 events.

Gillette won silver medals in the men’s long jump at five consecutive Summer Paralympics (2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, 2016 Rio, and 2020 Tokyo). He also competed in triple jump and sprint events, with top finishes including fifth in triple jump (2008) and fourth (2012), but did not reach sprint finals.

In 2019, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Lex won the gold medal with a jump of 6.45 m during the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships – Men’s long jump, marking his fourth world championship. At the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France, he won gold in the men’s long jump F11 event, and he also won silver in the triple jump event. Gillette was a part of the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships 4 × 100 m relay team that won a silver medal and set a new American record in the process. Gillette broke his own long jump world record for F11 classified athletes of 6.73 m (22 feet 1 inch) with a leap of 6.77 m (22 feet 2 in.) on April 23, 2015, at a high-performance meet held at the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center.

He is also a professional speaker who elevates the performance of leaders and their teams by designing presentations and experiential learning programs geared toward overcoming obstacles, embracing change and building resilience. He also competes as a Paralympic track and field athlete for Team USA.

Lex thanks his sponsors Tracy Sundlun, Paul Nestor and Wendy Urushima-Conn.