Antoine Craig (left) is a member of the USA Blind Soccer Men’s National Team (Photo by Brian Hernandez courtesy U.S. Association of Blind Athletes)
Recently named one of 16 Sport Ambassadors for the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes, Antoine Craig has been blind since 2010. He gradually lost his vision due to retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disease that causes the retina of the eye to break down slowly over time. The disease became pronounced in his teen years, when he lost his night vision. Visits to doctors gave little relief, so he eventually stopped going. From 2010 to 2019, Craig’s sight was at roughly 4%. “Now, nothing,” he says.
Working through hardship, Craig says, he has found himself. “In all good things in life, it always starts with tragedy,” he says. “Once I lost my vision, I began the process of rediscovering myself. Who am I now? What do I do? Where do I go?”
While working toward a degree at VCU, Craig, now 40, heard from a friend about people running at the school’s gym with their hands linked by shoestrings. Craig decided to give it a try. “In the beginning, it was pure coping,” he says. “It allowed me to do something that I could be proud of.”
Craig says running also gave him a community of support, something that he didn’t find within his family. “I was in Richmond alone, without being able to see, and it was extremely difficult,” he says. “People became my friends, my support system. These people became my family.”
Antoine Craig
And Craig was running well. In 2017, he won a silver medal in the 200-meter race at the 2017 U.S. Paralympic Nationals, and in 2019 he competed at the Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru. In 2021, running for a chance to compete in the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo — delayed for a year by the COVID-19 pandemic — he finished second in the 100. “Without COVID, I would have been able to go, even finishing second, but Tokyo limited participants,” he says.
While recovering from that disappointment, a friend told him a U.S. national team was forming for blind soccer. Last fall, Craig was named to the team, which will play in the Los Angeles Paralympics in 2028, thanks to a guaranteed spot for the host country.
On March 19 and 20, the team hosted its first two “international friendly” games against Canada in Chula Vista, California. Craig couldn’t play as planned because he sustained a concussion in practice prior to the games. He spoke with teammates before both games and, via his Facebook page, asked friends and supporters to lend support. When asked how the team fared, Craig answered cheerfully, “You know, we won!”
That positive attitude is exactly what Leilani Rodriguez encountered when she first met Craig during their high school years in Georgia, at their part-time jobs at a Burger King. “If you’re having a bad day, call Antoine,” she says. “You’re guaranteed to laugh.”
Rodriguez and Craig dated in high school but lost touch after he moved to Richmond, where he lost the remainder of his vision. They reconnected during a visit he made to Georgia. “He was still the same Antoine,” she says. “He was really independent; I kept forgetting he was blind.”
Now, the two are in touch almost daily, Rodriguez says, and Craig’s determination to live his life to the fullest is evident. “He’s a good motivator, and he stays on you,” she says. “He says, ‘If you want to do something, you can do something; the sky is the limit.’ ”
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Craig runs with a sighted partner. (Photo courtesy Antoine Craig)
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Craig on the slopes (Photo courtesy Antoine Craig)
Ana Mills met Craig through Sportable, a local organization that helps those with disabilities participate in sports. Mills, a licensed clinical psychologist in VCU’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, volunteered with the organization’s road running team because she’s been a middle-distance runner for much of her life.
Attempting to run with Craig as a sighted partner, “I simply was not fast enough,” she says. “He was in peak form, and we were attached by a shoestring. I was terrified I was going to trip him or say ‘right’ when I meant ‘left.’ He was so chill and gave me wonderful guidance as to how I could support him.”
While their running partnership didn’t last long, Mills and Craig stayed in touch. After Craig finished a psychology degree from VCU in 2016, he reached out to let Mills know he was considering a graduate degree in rehabilitation counseling. Mills was happy to offer advice and support.
“It was apparent to me from where I sit in the field of rehabilitation that Antoine has an incredibly unique perspective,” Mills says. “He has all the attributes of a good counselor: He’s a good listener, he’s intuitive and insightful, and he’s very driven to support other people in their goals. While those of us who are able-bodied can have sympathy, he has empathy. He knows what it is to live with a disability.”
Craig completed his master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling in December 2022 and has launched his own business, LegendaryU Counseling, focusing on athletes and individuals with disabilities. He also regularly posts videos to his Instagram, hoping not only to inspire others but also to create a record of what he’s accomplished.
Craig says he doesn’t focus on future medical advances that could one day restore some or part of his sight. “What am I missing now?” he asks. “My life now is completely different [than when I had my sight]. I have a purpose now. I know who I am, I have a great career, I’m independent. I have so much.”
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