Pennsylvania athletes to watch at the 2024 Paralympics
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Nearly a dozen Pennsylvanians are competing in the 2024 Paralympics, which kicks off in Paris on Wednesday.
Why it matters: These competitors are some of the best in their sports, and the games give us another chance to root for hometown heroes on the world stage this year.
State of play: Paratriathlete Emelia Perry is carrying the banner as the only athlete from Philadelphia, but 10 others on Team USA's roster have ties to the state.
Zoom in: Local Paralympians are competing in a range of sports, including wheelchair rugby, swimming and archery, per Penn Live.
🚴 Emelia Perry moved to Osaka, Japan, as a baby but returned to Pennsylvania in 2011 to run track at Ursinus College in Collegeville.
- In 2017, she suffered a spinal cord injury after tumbling 20 feet off a ladder. That didn't stop her as she began competing in wheelchair racing and triathlons in 2022.
🏊 Swimmer David Abrahams, of Havertown, is competing in his second — and final — Paralympics. He was diagnosed with Stargardt disease, a rare genetic condition that affects his vision.
- He won a silver medal in the 100-meter breaststroke in the Tokyo 2020 Games.
🏉 Mason Symons, of Hershey, is making his first appearance at the games on the wheelchair rugby team.
- He was serving in the National Guard when he hyperextended his spine in a motorcycle accident.
- His life changed after he watched the documentary "Murderball." Symons began competing in wheelchair rugby and was a member of the USA's Mixed team that won gold in the Parapan American Games in Chile last year.
🚵 Para-cycler Brandon Lyons, of Mechanicsburg, became paralyzed from the waist down from a diving accident two years after he graduated from Penn State in 2012.
- He made his first national para-cycling team in 2019 and has two world championship team medals.
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 network's Peacock streaming service.
📆 Go deeper with the full roster and schedule.