A Paralympics Preview
With the 2024 Paralympic Games set to begin on August 28, we’re highlighting some athletes that are at the top of their game.
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Paris, which is hosting the Paralympics, also hosted the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The Paralympic Games, a multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities, will open on August 28 in Paris, France, and continue through September 8. Like the Summer Olympics, the Summer Paralympics takes place every four years and features some of the best athletes from around the world. (There’s also a Winter Paralympics.)
Thousands of people will compete at the 2024 Paralympics. Here are a few you might want to check out!
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Hunter Woodhall, track and field
USA
Woodhall began competing in international track and field events when he was 15 years old. A double amputee since early childhood, he competed against nondisabled athletes in high school and college, running on prosthetic blades. Now headed for his third Paralympics, Woodhall has already won three Paralympic medals, competing in the T62 category, which applies to athletes who are double amputees. He also runs a YouTube channel with his wife, Tara Davis-Woodhall, who won a gold medal in the long jump at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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Timotheé Adolphe, track and field
France
Adolphe is a standout in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 400-meter dashes in the T11 category. T11 is the classification for athletes with total or near-total visual impairment and requires runners to compete with a guide runner alongside them. Adolphe has won several medals at the World Para Athletics Championships and earned the silver medal in the 100-meter dash at the 2020 Paralympic Games. Adolphe is also a musician, creating hip-hop that motivates listeners to power through adversity, or hardship.
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Yip Pin Xiu, swimming
Singapore
A backstroke specialist who holds two world records, Pin Xiu became Singapore’s first Paralympic gold medalist in 2008 and went on to add five more Paralympic medals—four gold and one silver—to her collection. Born with a disorder that causes nerve damage, she does not have the use of her legs and competes in a category for swimmers whose leg coordination has been affected. Pin Xiu is also vice chair of The Purple Parade, an organization that promotes disability awareness in Singapore.
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Gustavo Fernandez, wheelchair tennis
Argentina
Currently ranked third in the world, Fernandez has won many wheelchair tennis titles, including victories at Wimbledon and the French Open. But while this will be his third Paralympic Games, he has yet to win a Paralympic medal. Fernandez lost mobility at age 18 months due to an issue with his spinal cord. Born into a family of professional basketball players, Fernandez has always been passionate about sports but chose to pursue tennis instead of basketball, going pro at age 12.
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Mariska Beijer, wheelchair basketball
The Netherlands
A veteran known for her offensive strength, Beijer helped bring the Dutch (Netherlands) team to international prominence in 2018, when they won their first World Championship. Now, Beijer hopes to defend her country’s 2020 Paralympic gold. Beijer has used a wheelchair since childhood accidents led to the amputation of her right foot and damaged her left leg. Having found confidence in wheelchair basketball, Beijer now hopes to inspire it in others. She is an ambassador for IT4Kids, which expands opportunities for children with disabilities to participate in sports.
