“Rio was an amazing experience. Tokyo was incredible, but more laid back without all the fans there,” he said. Although he felt much more prepared going into his second Paralympic games, Merrill didn’t have an auspicious start in Tokyo. “I tripped up on my second jump and just ate it in front of everyone.”
Although the jump was painful and hurt his chances at attaining a medal, Merrill was not daunted by a little adversity. He had overcome much greater obstacles in his life.
When he was 14 years old, Merrill and his best friend were riding dirt bikes to his house in San Juan Capistrano, California. They came to the final turn before the house, looked both ways, and began to cross the street. “We didn’t see the car when we checked, and they didn’t see us, because there was a divided median with trees and shrubs that obstructed the view,” he said. “I woke up in the other lane and it felt like the whole thing was a dream at first. Then I looked over and saw my friend Scott on the ground, screaming. I realized it wasn’t a dream. It was real.”
Merrill felt a numb sensation in one of his feet and could tell from looking at it that it was broken. He grabbed his cell phone and called his dad, who arrived followed by two ambulances. They first took Scott, who was in critical condition with a broken back, chipped pelvis, punctured lung, and a bruised face from hitting the car’s windshield. With much medical intervention and prayer, Merrill’s friend eventually made a full recovery.
Merrill remained in the hospital for the next month and a half. After several weeks of effort to avoid the unthinkable, the doctors at Mission Hospital delivered the news that he would need his right leg amputated, just below the knee. Merrill began to cry, panicking at the thought of a life without one of his legs. He reflected on his identity, which was largely rooted in athletics.
Growing up, Merrill played numerous sports—soccer, basketball, baseball, hockey, swimming, and motocross racing. “I remember watching those old Gatorade commercials with Michael Jordan and Mia Hamm and falling in love with sports,” he said. “My dad taught me to play basketball when I was in preschool and we’d play every night until dinnertime, but I would only come in to dinner if I was winning; otherwise we’d keep playing.” This passion for competition grew with time. When he was asked to think about his dream career, Merrill always answered he would be a professional athlete.
“I felt like my identity was gone when they told me about the amputation. My heart was broken and I didn’t know what my life would be like,” he said. “Then my friend’s mom walked into my hospital room and started praying over me. I felt the Holy Spirit and I sensed God telling me He had big plans for me.” Merrill decided to place his trust in God, and at that moment his uncertainty and anguish were replaced by peace and hope.
Soon after Merrill received his prosthetic leg, he was up and moving again. “I was walking on it that first day, and jogging by the end of the first week. Once I knew I could run with my prosthetic, I just wanted to go back to playing sports. I allowed myself to be me again, to try everything, and not be afraid to fail.”
Merrill continued playing sports in high school, including two new ones for him, volleyball and wrestling. It wasn’t until college that he began competing in track and field. He always knew he was fast, even outrunning some of his teammates during wrestling practice, but he didn’t find out about the Paralympics until his sophomore year at Saddleback Community College. He was invited to a running clinic hosted by the Challenged Athletes Foundation where he met Joaquim Cruz, a retired Brazilian Olympian sprinter who now coached Paralympians. Merrill instantly recognized that this was the move he needed to make—his new dream was to become a track and field Paralympian.
To take the next step in his journey, Merrill decided he needed to transfer to a university. “I had heard a lot of Azusa Pacific ads on my Lecrae/Christian rap Pandora radio station. Then I was watching track and field videos on YouTube and came across Bryan Clay training for the 2012 Olympics at APU,” he said. “The last sign came one day when I was heading to the gym and reached into a pile of workout shirts and pulled out an ‘APU Track & Field’ shirt. I had gotten it at a camp from a friend named John Ellis, who had gone to APU. I decided three signs were enough.”
Merrill began to research APU. He reached out to then-coach Kevin Reid, who got back to him immediately and said the team would love to have him. “I went to check out the school in person,” said Merrill. “As soon as I stepped foot on campus, I knew this was the place I belonged. God brought me to Azusa.” Merrill competed for the Cougars from 2013-14. He went professional in 2015 and finished up his last few APU classes online.
His years of hard work and perseverance paid off in Tokyo. After his second long jump, Merrill crawled out of the sand pit determined. “I told myself to keep going, to fight. It was a mental battle. I focused on taking it one jump at a time, not worrying about anything else,” he said. He jumped three more times, including a 7.08-meter jump that placed him third in the T64 category. “To put the U.S. on the podium and see that American flag raised, that was an incredible feeling. To get a medal was such an amazing experience,” he said. “It’s now a part of history. I’ll always be grateful.”
What Comes Next: 8 Meters and Los Angeles 2028
Merrill isn't finished. He has broken the American record in the T64 long jump three times, and his current mark stands at 7.75 meters. His next benchmark: become only the second jumper in his classification to clear 8 meters — a distance that would put him in contention to defeat Markus Rehm, the dominant German long jumper who has remained undefeated in the event.
He plans to compete in two more Paralympic Games, and his ultimate dream is to end his athletic career on home soil — at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics.
Faith is what helps me in the best and worst of times," Merrill said. "All this is meaningless without it. It gives me a purpose. It gives me the fuel to keep going. God created me to be an athlete. He hasn't told me that I'm finished yet, so I'm going to keep going.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Trenten Merrill is a Paralympic long jumper and Azusa Pacific University alumnus (Class of 2015) who won a bronze medal in the T64 long jump at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. He is a three-time American record holder in his event and competed for APU's track and field program from 2013 to 2014.
Merrill won a bronze medal in the T64 long jump at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games (held in August 2021). His winning jump of 7.08 meters placed him third on the podium, representing the United States.
T64 is a Paralympic athletics classification for athletes who have a leg amputation below the knee and compete using a running prosthetic blade. Athletes in this class compete in sprints and field events, including the long jump.
At age 14, Merrill was involved in a dirt bike accident in San Juan Capistrano, California, when a car struck him at an intersection obscured by a divided median. After a month and a half in the hospital, doctors at Mission Hospital determined his right leg required amputation just below the knee.
Merrill discovered APU through three coincidences he interpreted as signs from God: hearing APU advertisements on a Christian rap Pandora station, watching Bryan Clay train at APU on YouTube, and finding an APU Track & Field shirt in a pile of workout clothes. He visited campus, connected with coach Kevin Reid, and enrolled shortly after.
As of 2022, Merrill holds the American record in the T64 long jump at 7.75 meters — a mark he has set and broken three times. He is chasing the 8-meter barrier, which only one jumper in the world (Germany's Markus Rehm) has crossed.
Yes. Merrill has expressed his goal of competing in the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympic Games, which would allow him to conclude his athletic career at home in Southern California.
Faith is central to Merrill's story. After his amputation, a prayer in his hospital room became a turning point — he felt called by God to pursue a purpose beyond the injury. He credits his Christian faith with sustaining him through both the hardships and achievements of his athletic career.