Scout Bassett
Paralympian
Track & Field
Scout was born in Nanjing, China and at the age of one and a half, lost her right leg in a chemical fire. She was left on the streets of Nanjing before being taken to the Nanjing children’s welfare institute where she spent the next seven years suffering from malnutrition, isolation and physical abuse.
At the age of seven, she was adopted by a family from Michigan and left Nanjing for the US. Once here, Scout began to look to sports as a medium to cross social and cultural barriers.
7 years later at age 14, she began running after being introduced to prosthetist, Stan Patterson. She was granted funding by the Challenged Athletes Foundation to attend running clinics and mentor young amputees. She is now an ambassador for the Challenged Athletes Foundation and has set her goals on creating opportunities for individuals with disabilities. She is also a 2013 WSF Travel & Training Fund Grant Recipient.
In 2016, Scout worked her way to qualify for her first U.S. Paralympic Team, placing 5th in the 100m. She competed in the 2017 World Championship Experience, where she won the bronze medal in both the 100m and the long jump. Now, she is training for the podium in Tokyo 2020!