A Grade 11 athlete from Etobicoke's West Humber Collegiate Institute is celebrating a recent run that defied the odds.

Gavin O’Sullivan has been losing his vision since he was six, but that didn’t stop him from running in the provincial OFSAA Track and Field championships on Friday.

Tethered to his friend and guide, Linden Bennett, O’Sullivan joined about 2,700 other high school students at the championships and ran the 100-metre race.

With a time of 15.34, he overcame his previous record of 16.76 seconds, clocking a new personal best.

"I’m very happy right now. Really, really happy," O’Sullivan said on CTV's News Channel on Saturday.

O'Sullivan said he never thought he'd be able compete as a runner. With the help of Bennett, however, he was able to place fifth in his first major competition since arriving in Canada from Jamaica.

"(Bennett) holds onto the tether so if I’m going off the lane, he drags me to let me know that I’m going off the track," O'Sullivan explained.

The runner said he trains twice a week after school with the support of family, friends and teachers.

Organizers of the competition say the number of disabled students competing in the OFSAA meet has has tripled in the last five years. This year, there were about 50 who participated.

"For a lot of even able-bodied students, this is their Olympics," OFSAA co-convenor Chris Reid told CTV Toronto on Friday. "For the disabled kids who get into this event, it’s just a great opportunity to showcase what they can do."

Even with a sore leg, O’Sullivan came in first in the visually impaired category, inspiring many fans -- including his own mother.

"I was screaming, I was so happy," said O’Sullivan’s mother, Louna Reid Anderson.

She said her son proves "whatever disability you have, whatever downfall, don’t look down. Look up and keep focused."

O'Sullivan said he hopes to one day become a musician and computer technician.

For now though, he's basking in the glow of his recent run.

"Track and field is like a dream that came true for me right now, so I’m thinking about it right now," he said. "I’m back next year again to do much better."

With a report by CTV Toronto's Naomi Parness