Erik Hightower

Coach
Erik Hightower coach for track and road racing sitting in his wheelchair wearing a blue blazer

Erik Hightower was born on April 6, 1986, and started his racing career at the young age of eight years old. His parents heard about wheelchair sports through the Spina Bifida Association and they took him out one day to try wheelchair racing. At first, he absolutely hated it. Erik’s parents had to bribe him with money and even pets just to get him to race. 

After a 28-year racing career, Erik decided to retire from racing after the 2022 season. Erik ended his career as a 3X Paralympian (Beijing, Rio, Tokyo) and ranked in the top 5 in the world in the 100m T54 class. Some of Erik’s more recent accomplishments include a silver medal in the 100M, a sliver medal in the 400M, and a gold medal in the 4x100M relay all at the 2019 ParaPan American Games. Additionally, Erik won a gold medal in the 4x100M relay at the 2019 World Championships.