Washingtonians to watch in the 2024 Paralympics in Paris
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Jaleen Roberts of the U.S. (front) reacts after competing in the women's 100-meter race in the 2020 Summer Paralympics. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
A dozen Washington athletes are competing in the Summer Paralympics, which open Wednesday in Paris, according to Team USA's roster.
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 in motion.
The intrigue: Some competitors are making their Paralympic debuts, while others return with their sights set on another medal.
Here are some of the athletes we'll be watching.
Track and field: Born with cerebral palsy, Jaleen Roberts of Kent won silver medals in the 100-meter dash and the long jump in the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo, as well as silver in several world championships.
- She will compete in the long jump and the 100-meter and 200-meter races.
- A sprinter from Seattle, Taylor Swanson, who also has cerebral palsy, will make her Paralympics debut in the 100-meter and 200-meter races.
More runners: Hannah Dederick of Mead will make her second appearance at the Paralympics, competing in the women's 100-meter and 800-meter races; Lauren Fields of Spokane Valley will race in the 100-meter and 800-meter races.
- Lindi Marcusen from Spokane, a former gymnast who had her leg amputated after a car crash in 2017, is a first-time Paralympian. Susannah Scaroni from Tekoa will be making her fourth Paralympics appearance.
Cycling: Travis Gaertner of Burien, who was born without legs, is returning to the Paralympics as a cyclist after competing in the 2000 and 2004 Paralympics in wheelchair basketball, winning gold both times.
- At 18, Elouan Gardon of Acme is making his debut at the games as the youngest member of Team USA's cycling crew. He'll be competing in the MC5 category of road racing for people with mild impairments.
Equestrian: Roxanne Trunnell of Kennewick is returning for her third Paralympics after winning two gold medals in the 2020 games.
Shooting: McKenna Geer of Arlington, who was born with amyoplasia arthrogryposis, will make her third Paralympic appearance after becoming the first woman to win a medal in shooting for the U.S. at the 2016 Paralympics, KING 5 reported.
Sitting volleyball: Coming into her fifth Paralympics, amputee Katie (Holloway) Bridge of Lake Stevens won two gold medals and two silver in previous games.
Wheelchair tennis: Veteran athlete David Wagner of Walla Walla will return for his sixth Paralympics, having competed in every one since 2004.
- A quadriplegic since a beach accident in 1995, Wagner has won more than a dozen Grand Slam titles and has ranked in the top three in the world for the majority of his career.
Fun facts: This is the first time that all 22 Paralympics sports will be broadcast live.
- Team USA's roster features a 50-50 mix of men and women — just like the American team for the recently completed 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, which for the first time in history saw an equal number of men and women compete.
What's next: Watch the events on NBC, USA Network, CNBC and Peacock, starting Wednesday.