Trevon Jenifer, left, displays his gold medal from the Paris Olympics after signing a basketball for a fellow wheelchair athlete Sept. 18 at the Dunbar Alexandria-Olympic Boys and Girls Club.
Trevon Jenifer, a four-time Olympian with three gold and one bronze medal in wheelchair basketball, inspired a crowd of youth and adults who gathered to meet the athlete Sept. 18 at the Dunbar Alexandria-Olympic Boys and Girls Club.
Jenifer was born without legs due to a condition called congenital amputation. He grew up in an economically deprived crime-ridden neighborhood in Prince George's County but refused to let his body or his environment deter him from pursuing his dreams.
“Just because you grow up a certain way doesn’t mean that is your destiny,” Jenifer told the crowd. “I grew up in a not so nice part of PG county where there was always broken glass on the ground. Before I had this chair I had to crawl around and would constantly get glass stuck in my hands. But that was one of those things where I could either be part of the problem or I could find a solution.”
Olympic gold medalist Trevon Jenifer, right, autographs a photo for an attendee Sept. 18 at the Dunbar Alexandria-Olympic Boys and Girls Club.Jenifer began participating in wheelchair sports when he was 4 years old. He participated in wheelchair track and still holds multiple records in the U11 and U14 age groups. Just prior to his junior year in high school, Jenifer’s family moved to Huntingtown, Md., in Calvert County. It was there he became a champion wrestler, finishing third in his weight class at the Maryland state tournament during his senior year.
Jenifer went on to attend Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 2011 with a BA in Criminal Justice. While in college, he was a two-time All American and captained the wheelchair basketball team. He twice led the team in scoring, rebounds and assists and was inducted into the Edinboro University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022.
Jenifer qualified for the USA Men’s National Wheelchair Basketball Team in 2012, winning a bronze medal at the Paralympic Games in London. It was the first time in 12 years the team had won a medal in the Olympic Games. Jenifer and the USA Men’s National’s Wheelchair Basketball Team have since followed that up with three straight Paralympic gold medals: Rio in 2016, Tokyo in 2020 and Paris in 2024. The gold medal in Rio was the first gold medal for the team in 28 years.
In Paris, the team completed the first threepeat in Paralympic history. They took home the gold with a 73-69 victory over Great Britain in the finals. Jenifer went 7-for-7, ending the game with 14 points and seven rebounds.
When asked what keeps him motivated, Jenifer replied, “It was important for me to prove that I deserved to be there. I wanted to showcase my abilities and show my children what it takes to attain goals.”
Jenifer also relayed the discipline it takes to be a champion.
“The grind doesn’t stop,” Jenifer said. “Team practice may be three times a week but when you leave practice is when the real work starts. You need to put in the time and effort when the team is not around. It is hard waking up at 6 a.m. to go play and practice but that is when I become my best.”
The US team took home the gold in Paris on Sept. 7, Jenifer’s 36th birthday.
“These were the first games that my family was able to be there with me,” Jenifer said. “Having my wife and children there to celebrate with me as we won the gold on my birthday, with 13,000 singing happy birthday to me – that is a memory that will always stay with me. They sacrificed so much for me to be there.”
Jenifer currently works with the Secret Service as a Personnel Security Specialist in the Security Management Division. He is also an author and motivational speaker. His visit to the Dunbar Alexandria-Olympic Boys and Girls Club was sponsored by Comcast NBCUniversal.
“We wanted to celebrate the great achievements of a great Paralympian from this area,” said Comcast NBCUniversal representative Broderick Johnson. “Jenifer gave these kids a sense of what’s possible.”
Comcast NBCUniversal donated 25 laptops to the club, which is one of 1,250 WiFi-connected hubs that provide free internet access and digital services to students and families in need.
Goodies Frozen Custard and Treats provided refreshments for attendees.
Jenifer wrapped up his comments by encouraging everyone to dream beyond what they can imagine for themselves.
“For me, it is not about allowing what you see, this disability in front of you, to be my entire identity,” Jenifer said. “I’m a proud father, I’m a full time employee with the federal government, a gold medalist basketball player. I will not allow those preconceived notions of what I am define who I am as an individual.”
Said attendee Carolyn Keith, “Today has been breathtaking. I am so happy that I was able to come with my son, grandson and daughter and see the remarkable things that they do here at the club and to be inspired by Trevon Jenifer.”