The Paralympics have just recently begun in Paris and just like the Olympics they are worth a watch. The Paralympics started in 1948 when German neurologist Sir Ludwig Guttman used it as a way to help his paraplegic WW2 veterans recover fast and just like the Olympics, it is a sporting event where super athletes come from all around the world to compete in a multitude of events. But where the two differ is that these athletes are competing with disabilities and the events are different but similar to the ones in the Olympics.
Some of these sports that will be included from the 22 sports that will be present is Boccia which is a strategic game of throwing and trying to get balls closer to a white ball than the opponent, Blind Football where a team of five plays football while blindfolded and was created for the visually impaired, Then there is also Wheelchair fencing where two participants are seated in wheelchairs that are locked into the ground.
Also, we have 9 athletes competing in the games that are from Colorado. The first athlete we have is Kyle Coon who at 7 lost his sight and went on to become a five-time World Triathlon Para series medalist with 3 of those medals being gold and also was named USA paratriathlon national champion in 2022. Next, we have Hailey Danz who was diagnosed with bone cancer in her left leg and after a year decided to amputate it but even though that she became a paratriathlon athlete who in 2022 won her third World Para Triathlon championship title.
In wheelchair rugby we have Josh O’ Neil who comes from a family of race car drivers however when he was 16 he was involved in an accident that broke his neck. While recovering he discovered the sport and won a silver medal at the Wheelchair Rugby World Championship in 2022. Beatriz Hace got her leg amputated after being born with no fibula in her right leg but she was able to excel at a multitude of sports this year, she will be competing in the long jump and she also placed sixth in the World Para Athletics Championship in May.
Competing in Para swimming is Elizabeth Marks who is quite seasoned since this is her third year in the Paralympics where in the past she had won gold and silver medals. She joined the army at 17 and While in Iraq she served as a medic before suffering a hip then 2 years later she started to grow in interest in swimming
Jack O’Neil is also competing in Para swimming and in February he was able to achieve a career-best time of 26.47 in the 50-yard freestyle at the Western Athletic Conference Championships. Next is Howie Sanborn who is competing in the Triathlon as well he started his career competing as an able-body athlete but a distracted driver caused him to become paralyzed from the waist down.
Melissa Stockwell is now entering her fourth Paralympic while serving in Iraq Melissa lost her leg to a roadside bomb. She recently finished fourth in the para-triathlon at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championship and is the cofounder of Dare2Tri Paratriathlon Club. Finally, we have Jataya Taylor who is making her debut in Wheelchair fencing the event that put her on this journey was an accident during Marine Training that caused her leg to be permanently damaged which then 12 years later was amputated.
The Paralympics is a sporting event that contains interesting sports worth watching for their creativity and uniqueness. It is also important to support the athletes who are representing not just the U.S. but also Colorado.
