Meet the Houston athletes competing in the Paralympics
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Kaitlyn Eaton for Team USA. Photo: Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
Another crew of world-class Houston athletes is going for gold at the 2024 Paralympics.
Why it matters: Just weeks after the conclusion of the Olympics, these elite athletes give us another opportunity to obsess over sports, witness historic wins, and see tales of persistence and triumph unfold.
Here are some athletes with Houston-area connections we'll be watching as competitions begin today:
Jazmin Almlie-Ryan, 42, from Katy, qualified for para-shooting. She used to play wheelchair basketball, but after she won an air rifle competition, she switched sports. Almlie-Ryan is a two-time Paralympian, having competed in Tokyo 2020 and Rio de Janeiro 2016.
Ariana Aguila-Ramos, 20, from Houston, is a first-time Paralympian who will compete in para-taekwondo, which made its Paralympic debut at the Tokyo Games.
Kaitlyn Eaton, 30, from Houston, will return to the Paralympics to compete in wheelchair basketball, where she won bronze in Tokyo with the USA Women's team.
Fabian Romo, 27, from Houston, discovered wheelchair basketball as a high school freshman. After leading the UT-Arlington Movin' Mavs to a national championship in 2017, he played professional wheelchair basketball in Spain. Romo is making his Paralympic debut.
Chelsea Stein, 20, from Spring, is representing Team USA as part of the women's para track and field team. She also shares her life and races with her 40,000 TikTok followers.
Plus: Ahalya Lettenberger, 23, from Glen Ellyn, Illinois, was an NCAA Division I swimmer for Rice University and will be returning to the Paralympics to compete in the 400-meter freestyle. She won a silver medal in the 200-meter individual medley at the Tokyo Games.
Zoom out: This is the first time all 22 Paralympic sports will be broadcast live.
- Athletes are hoping that high interest in the Summer Olympics, plus social media and advertising campaigns, will bring even more fans to the Paralympics this year.
How to watch: The Games run through Sept. 8.
- Viewers can tune in via NBC, USA Network and CNBC, plus the Peacock streaming service.
Go deeper with the full roster and schedule.