Meet Colorado's 2024 Paris Paralympians
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Beatriz Hatz, right, competes in the U.S. Paralympics Team Trials on July 20. Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images
The Paris Paralympics start this week, and Team USA features at least eight Colorado-connected athletes.
Why it matters: Paralympians are athletes who have battled through adversity to compete and represent their country in 22 different sports.
State of play: Colorado's roster features five track and field athletes, a swimmer, and more.
Para Track and Field
Lakewood's Beatriz Hatz, 23, struggled a year ago when she competed in Paris as part of the World Para Athletics Championships.
- Then, her doctor discovered the prosthetic blade on her right leg was made for people 25-30 pounds heavier. (She was born without a fibula in her right leg, leading to an amputation below the knee.)
What we're watching: A new flexible blade has her back in medal contention in the long jump and 100- and 200-meter contests.
- She finished 5th and 6th in those competitions, respectively, in the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Flashback: She was named the U.S. Paralympics Track & Field High School Female Athlete of the Year in 2018.
Parafencing
Aurora's Jataya Taylor is competing in her first Paralympics but enters with three golds and a silver medal from the most recent Wheelchair Fencing Americas Championships.
Flashback: A U.S. Marine, she took up parafencing after tearing ligaments and dislocating her shoulder in a pair of training accidents in 2005. She suffers from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, an inherited disorder that affects the body's connective tissues, and had her left leg amputated in 2017.
Between the lines: She also has competed in other adaptive sports, including air rifle, biking, rock climbing, and skiing.
Para Swimming
Colorado Springs' Jack O'Neil competes in the freestyle and backstroke events and qualified for the Paris Games after coming in first in the 100-meter backstroke.
- Born with birth defects in his spine, hips, and legs, he started swimming at age 7 and electively had his left leg amputated at 9.
Fun fact: O'Neil was the first athlete in Colorado to qualify for state swim meets against able-bodied competitors.
- He now swims for the University of Wyoming.
Colorado Springs' Elizabeth Marks took up swimming as she recovered from reconstructive hip surgery after experiencing injuries while serving as a U.S. Army combat medic in Iraq.
- She continued to fall ill and suffered a neurological impairment in 2014 that required life-saving surgery.
State of play: Marks enters the 2024 Games as a two-time Paralympian with five medals, including two golds. She competes in all strokes with backstroke being her top discipline.
Fun fact: She earned an ESPY in 2016 as the recipient of the Pat Tillman Award.
Para Shooting
For his third Paralympic Games, Colorado Springs' John Joss is looking for the podium in the rifle competition.
- He finished just outside medal contention in 5th place in the 2016 Games and back in the pack at the Tokyo Paralympics.
State of play: Joss is a member of the U.S. Army's Marksmanship Unit and lost a portion of his right leg from injuries sustained in Iraq in 2007. He currently is the national record holder in the Mixed 50-meter Free Rifle Prone competition.
Fun fact: His hobbies include riding vintage Harley Davidson motorcycles and long-range rifle shooting.
Paratriathlon
Colorado Springs' Melissa Stockwell's decorated Paralympic career starts a new chapter in Paris, where the 44-year-old paratriathlete is competing in her fourth Summer Games.
State of play: Stockwell lost her left leg in 2004 after her Army vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq. She was the first female American soldier in history to lose a limb in active combat and later received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for her service.
- She first competed in the 2008 Games as a swimmer — and the flag bearer at the closing ceremonies — before switching to triathlon.
- She medaled in the 2016 games and finished fifth in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Fun fact: Stockwell always eats gummy worms the night before a race.
Colorado Springs' Hailey Danz heads to Paris for her third Paralympics and is looking for gold in the paratriathlon after taking silver in the 2016 and 2020 games.
- She began competing in 2011 with no background in the sport but took to it quickly. She earned an ITU Paratriathlon world title in 2013 and was named the USA Triathlon Paratriathlete of the Year in 2015.
Between the lines: She was diagnosed with bone cancer in her left leg at age 12. After chemotherapy and surgeries, she opted to amputate her leg to get back to an active lifestyle.
The intrigue: According to her U.S. Team biography, her motto is: "I believe there is no finish line."
Wheelchair Rugby
Colorado Springs Josh O'Neill took a silver medal at the 2022 World Championships as part of the U.S. wheelchair rugby team and now is looking to score a medal at the Paralympics.
The intrigue: He suffered a race car crash at age 16 that halted his career and discovered wheelchair rugby in 2009 after watching the documentary, "Murderball."
What to watch: The sport is akin to a fast-paced demolition derby.