Scout Bassett spent seven years in a government-run orphanage in Nanjing, China after she was abandoned on the side of a street following the loss of her right leg and suffered severe burns from a chemical fire as an infant. Given a makeshift prosthetic leg patched together from leather belts and masking tape, she never stepped outside of the orphanage before being adopted by an American couple from Michigan in 1995. 

Still learning the English language, Bassett joined sports as a way to connect with her peers. She tried basketball, softball, golf, and tennis before competitively racing in track & field and triathlons. At 14, she was introduced to the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), which gave her a grant to fund her training while also allowing her to attend running clinics and mentor young amputees. She worked her way to qualify for her first U.S. Paralympic Team in 2016. In pursuit of her Paralympic dreams, Scout competed at the 2012 U.S. Paralympic Track and Field London Trials, where she placed 2nd in the 200m and 3rd in the 100m.

Scout is a 7-time National Champion in the 100m. She is currently the World Record holder in the 400m and America’s Record holder in the 200m. Before competing in track, Scout was on the USA Paratriathlon National Team, where she won 3 silver medals and 1 bronze medal at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships.

Off the track, Bassett is the Women’s Sports Foundation Board President, a member of the Gatorade Women’s Advisory Board, and co-host of BBC Sport’s acclaimed podcast On The Podium. She was recently honored as one of Refinery29’s ‘Powerhouses of 2024’ and was also featured in season 2 of The Greatness Code on AppleTV+, which debuted in May 2022.

Bassett spends time as a mentor, activist for people with disabilities, athlete ambassador, and motivational speaker, and is a unique and inspiring role model for all people to dream big and believe. Bassett’s book, LUCKY GIRL, was released in September 2023 alongside the launch of the Scout Bassett Fund, which offers financial grants to young athletes with disabilities to support the extensive cost of competing at the elite level.