While most sports enthusiasts out there may not equate those with physical disabilities as athletically gifted and elite, one boy from Worksop, England changed the minds of many and inspired them in the process last weekend.

8-year-old Bailey Matthews is a budding young triathlete with a twist. He suffers from cerebral palsy, a neurological condition that affects muscle co-ordination and balance, making it much more difficult to perform some of life’s most routine daily tasks.

Although Matthews struggles to dress himself without assistance, he completed the Castle Howard Triathlon on Saturday, a grueling event that included a 100-metre lake swim, a four kilometre bike ride and a 1,300 metre run. Bailey used an adapted bike and walker to complete the race in spite of distance, terrain and disability. On top of all that, Matthews left the walker behind, crossing the finish line unassisted, making his parents Jonathan and Julia proud, inspiring those in attendance and becoming a social media sensation in the process.

When you hear the term high performance athlete, what picture comes to mind? Perhaps it’s Canadian hockey hero Sidney Crosby or basketball’s total package LeBron James, or even an up and coming track star like Markham, Ontario’s own Andre De Grasse, who recently stole the show at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto.

The bottom line is whatever your image of an elite athlete is, the best in the world have the ability to not just dominate a sport on the world’s biggest stage, but truly inspire the masses with memorable performances.

Cheers to Bailey, a possible future ParaPan Am Games triathlete who will make you think about the meaning of high performance on a whole new level.