Bay Area athletes to watch at the Paralympics in Paris
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Hannah Chadwick (right) and Skyler Espinoza compete last year in Chile. Photo: Claudio Santana via Getty Images
Six athletes will represent the Bay Area at the Paralympic Summer Games, which kick off with the opening ceremony in Paris on Wednesday.
Why it matters: These elite athletes, who were either born, lived or went to school here, give us another opportunity to witness historic wins and root for Team USA in what's likely the biggest competition of their lives.
The big picture: They'll make their appearances throughout the 11-day Games — competing in everything from volleyball and swimming to tandem cycling and triathlons.
- Make sure to keep an eye on the official schedule so you don't miss your favorite athletes and competitions.
Hannah Chadwick, an El Cerrito native, heads to the Paralympics for the first time as a tandem cyclist. Chadwick, who was born in China but moved to Northern California after being adopted, will aim to win Team USA's first Paralympic medal in a visually impaired cycling event since 2008.
- Blind since birth, Chadwick took up the sport just five years ago and won two gold medals at the 2023 Parapan American Games with her cycling partner Skyler Espinoza.
Espinoza serves as Chadwick's pilot on the race course. The longtime athlete, who calls Menlo Park her hometown, previously competed as a rower for Columbia University and worked as an assistant coach for a Stanford rowing team.
- She and Chadwick have been partners for a little over a year.
Noah Jaffe, currently on leave from his biochemistry studies at UC Berkeley, is expected to medal in swimming; he'll reprersent Team USA in the 100-meter and 400-meter freestyle as well as the 100-meter butterfly and 200-meter individual medley. Jaffe was born with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, which limits movement in his legs and right arm.
- At last year's Paralympic Swimming World Championships, he won four medals, including a gold, and set an American record for the 100-meter freestyle.
Mohamed Lahna, a resident of Hayward who was born in Casablanca, Morocco, will compete in the triathlon. Lahna was born with a rare birth defect that effectively left him without a right femur and fibula.
- Since receiving his first real prosthesis at the age of 20, he's completed Ironman competitions and taken home medals from the Rio Paralympics and 2024 World Triathlon Para Series.
Bryan Larsen of Windsor will make his Paralympic debut in para-cycling, which he turned to after suffering nerve injuries from an accident in 2019.
- Born with a club foot, Larsen grew up cycling and was the most successful Team USA rider at the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships this year.
Bethany Zummo returns to the Games with the U.S. women's sitting volleyball team as a three-time Paralympian. The Dublin native, who currently coaches at Livermore's NorCal Volleyball Club, was born with congenital disorders that led to the amputation of her right foot at age 2.
- She helped Team USA win gold in both Tokyo and Rio.
Fun fact: For the first time in history, all 22 Paralympics sports will be broadcast live.
What's next: Watch the events on NBC, USA Network, CNBC and Peacock, starting Thursday.