Newsroom

Meet Aira’s New Athlete Ambassadors!

hannah.griffin@aira.ioby Hannah Griffin•Posted June 5, 2024
A promotional graphic with a black and white image of a plane centered in front of clouds in the background. At left white and teal text reads "Aira Community: Meet the Flight for Sight Ambassadors." At bottom left is the teal and white Aira logo. At right are five teal right angle triangles stacked in a pattern.

The people who use Aira are an integral part of what makes it so special. Our community is built of individuals from all different walks of life, undertaking a vast range of activities and goals. We wanted to shine a light on some of these community members, and in this spirit have brought onboard some exciting Aira Ambassadors! 

This summer, we’ve partnered with two impressive athletes, Lex Gillette and Dave Wilkinson, who are both embarking on exciting challenges. Lex is continuing his highly decorated Paralympic career in Paris, while Dave is adding to his endurance accomplishments with a bike race across the US. We’re looking forward to sharing their updates! 

Read below for more information on these wonderful Aira Ambassadors, and follow Aira on Instagram for the latest updates. Plus, stay tuned for upcoming Aira podcast interviews and blog posts diving deeper into their adventures, challenges, and accomplishments.

 

Aira’s Athlete Ambassadors  

Lex Gillette

Lex is the best totally blind long and triple jumper in the history of the U.S. Paralympic movement. He is the current world record holder in the long jump, a five-time Paralympic medalist, a four-time long jump world champion, and an 18-time national champion. He is the only totally blind athlete to ever eclipse the 22-foot barrier in the long jump. As well as being an accomplished athlete, Lex is also a motivational speaker and a singer-songwriter. Learn more about Lex here. 

A blurred background showing a green field with a clay track. Athlete Lex Gillette sits on the left hand side of a metal bench, smiling off to the right. Lex wears a grey running tank top and has his arms resting on the back of the bench.

Credit: www.lexgillette.com

Dave Wilkinson – The Speedy Turtle 

Dave has been competing in ultra-competitions for years, including competing within the Physically Challenged (PC) division of Ironman since 2019. He achieved Gold Level (the Top 1%) of PC athletes worldwide, and he won his division in Arizona in 2021 and Muncie in 2021/22. Before triathlons, Dave completed over 30 marathons and narrowly missed being on the 2002 US Paralympic cross-country ski team. 

This year, he will be competing in the Race Across America From CA to NJ as the first tandem bike with a blind rider to compete solo in RAAM Event History. This exciting race will see Dave and his teammate Jim travel through 12 states, climb 32 vertical miles, and pedal 3,000 miles in total. Learn more about Team Speedy Turtle here. 

A blurred field of yellow corn plants in the background, and athlete Dave Wilkinson standing in front of it wearing a red cycling jersey. He looks off camera to the right.

Image credit: www.speedyturtle.net