“If you look good, you run good.” That’s the motto of Brittni Mason, a 27-year-old Paralympian. Mason was born with Erb’s palsy, which limits her movement in her left arm and shoulder. But it never stopped her from dominating the track since she was a child. Coming to New Delhi on 28th September to take part in the World Para Athletics Championships, Mason was prepared to do what she always does: run faster, win, and motivate. With two silver medals from Paris 2024 and reigning world champion titles in the 100m and 200m T47, she had the fastest personal best in the field at 11.89 seconds. Everybody predicted that she would stand again on the podium.

But the race didn’t go as planned.

Heading into the women’s 100m T47 final, Mason looked untouchable. But when the final whistle blew, Mason crossed the line in fifth place with a time of 12.38 seconds, marking her first time ever missing a medal at a World Championships. The podium was occupied by Kiara Rodriguez (11.97 seconds), Maria Clara Augusto da Silva (12.20), and Marie Ngoussou Ngouyi (12.29). Still, even in defeat, Mason’s words revealed the perspective behind her accomplishments.

In an exclusive chat with Essentially Sports’ Shreya Verma, she reflected on what it meant to compete at this level and for her community: “Yeah, it’s an honor. I’ve been competing professionally with Team USA since 2019. So to be able to still come out here, and make every world team and then make every team final… you know it’s my first time that I have never medaled in the 100. But you know that’s okay, it just gives me more fuel for the fire for next time. I’m just really humble and super grateful to make it to another final, to make it to another world champs.”

Before Paris, she competed at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020, winning gold and two silvers while breaking a world record. But her path to this stage was never straightforward.

Mason started running at the age of 10 against her able bodied peers, not realizing she was even Paralympics-eligible. One day, somebody called her coach to determine whether or not she was interested in para-sports. Mason replied, “I don’t have a disability,” as she recounted in an interview with USA Today. The answer came: “Don’t you have Erb’s Palsy?”

That was the beginning. In 2019, she competed in her first World Championships, worked through Covid-19, and prepared to compete in her first Paralympic Games in 2021, where she took home a gold in the mixed relay, along with a pair of silver medals. “Growing up, I always knew I had nerve damage in my shoulder and arm, but I never let that hinder me,” she recalled.

She breathed and lived sport, attempting gymnastics, swimming, dance, basketball, and track, and now labels were not going to contain her. That desire to compete, experiment, and develop is why she remains great even today. Yet running was not only her dream.

Brittni Mason’s race beyond the track

Brittni Mason is not only an athlete but also a scholar, entrepreneur, and go-getter. She holds two master’s degrees, is a licensed esthetician, and has a degree in exercise physiology from Eastern Michigan University. Before fully committing to track and field, she wanted to become a physician assistant. Reason?

“I love helping people. I love working with children. I was a nanny all my life and that is where I had imagined myself to be, she says. But life had other plans. Clinicals were not an option, especially when online classes were not so common as they are now due to COVID because we travel a lot and spend months at a time away,” she explains. But that’s not all.

Mason also earned an MBA in order to start her own beauty business, something she could pursue at her own pace. And in December 2023, she became licensed as an esthetician. “I’ve always loved beauty. Skin, lashes, hair, nails…I am obsessed. Learning them would mean that I would not need to pay someone to do it, I could simply do it whenever I feel like it.”

But Mason is not only creating a personal brand; she is also using her platform to help others find their own. Having over 39,000 Instagram fans, Mason works with such companies as Celsius, Panasonic, and Avendant Health, but these partnerships are not only a source of income but also an opportunity to learn about Para sports.

“If companies are investing [in Para athletes] then they are also putting that out into the world,” Brittni Mason said. She believes people are more interested in watching Paralympic track and field or other para-sports. Mason is not just about medals but hopes to put a spotlight on the Paralympics and make the next generation pursue their potential.