DURHAM—A Hillside High School athlete has set his sights on the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after an outstanding performance during the summer.

         According to a feature in the Durham Herald-Sun, sophomore Desmond Jackson won three gold medals last month during the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation World Games in Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom, near London.   Jackson is an above-the-knee amputee.

         Jackson, representing the United States as a member of the WASUSA junior national squad, took first place in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes. There were athletes competing from 31 other nations.

          Although he had not thrown the discus for about a year, he also attempted that and wound up winning a bronze medal.

         He also trained some during the summer at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California.

         Jackson competed in both the North Carolina High School Athletic Association indoor and outdoor track and field championships last year.