When Reece Langdon was six-years-old, he contracted a debilitating virus had to learn to walk and talk again.
Now, he is a Paralympic medalist and Goulburn's first.
In what was a moment to savour, Reece and fellow Australian Angus Hincksman led the Mens 1500m T38 final heading into the last lap, but it was the 28-year-old who won bronze behind the fast finishing Amen Allah Tissaoui from Tunisia and Nathan Riech from Canada.
"It's pretty special considering how far I've come in the sport," Reece told former Paralympic gold medalist Kelly Cartwright and Channel 9's coverage minutes after the race on day 10 of the Paris Paralympics.
"I thought I would find something coming into the home straight but unfortunately, the better better people won."
He also thanked those who helped him achieve his dreams throughout the years, including his coach and training partners.
"I want to thank my coach Tim O'Shaughnessy who put hours upon hours into this moment and my training partners who have gotten me through some sessions to make sure I was ready for this moment," he said.
Growing up on a farm in Woodhouselee, about 15km north of Goulburn, Reece would run 2km from the house to the letterbox most days, before moving to the track for the Wollondilly Public and Goulburn High School athletic carnivals.
Goulburn High School teacher Eddie Teague said he remembered training Reece before he left for the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra in 2013.
"He asked for some personal training and we did it for about 12 months before he left the school in year 10," Teague said.
"He'd show up every session and was a very hard worker.
"He was great at cross country running, but also the 400m which was what I was able to help him with because I ran that distance too during my university days in Carlifornia."
You can watch a replay of the race on 9NOW with this link: https://www.9now.com.au/para-athletics-paralympic-games-paris-2024/2024/clip-cm0sgo9pt001q0gpcv1fkdz1l.
