Suppose you are having withdrawals from being a patriotic citizen after watching the Paris Olympic Games. In that case, in just a few days, you’ll be able to get that feeling back as the 2024 Paris Paralympics is quickly approaching.
On Monday, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) announced the full roster of 225 members. According to the committee, Team USA is set to dominate the games with a mixture of seasoned veterans and newcomers. Broken down evenly, the rosters feature 110 male and 110 female athletes, along with five guides, representing the country in Paris. Among the 225 members, 78 athletes will be making their Paralympics debut, while the other 142 are returning to the international games.
But, what makes this year’s events interesting is that 52 of the returning athletes have snagged Paralympic medals in the past. Three standout athletes—Oksana Masters, Tatyana McFadden, and Tahl Leibovitz—have been preparing to enter their seventh Paralympic games.
Speaking on Masters specifically, the multi-talented athlete has participated in every Summer and Winter games since 2012. Making her way across four different sports, Masters’ Paralympic accolades include nine medals in para-Nordic skiing and five in para-biathlon during the Winter Games, in addition to a bronze in para-rowing from the 2012 Summer Games and two golds in para-cycling from the Tokyo 2021 Games.
Another athlete to look out for is swimmer Jessica Long, who will be attending her sixth Paralympic games. At 32 years old, Long has been a part of Team USA since the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games. Outside of Trischa Zorn, Long is known as the second most decorated U.S. Paralympic athlete, earning a total of 29 medals, including three from her debut year.
Of course, we can’t skip over Hunter Woodhall, who’ll be entering his third Paralympic Games and is married to Olympic long jump gold medalist Tara Davis-Woodhall. The couple recently caught the public’s attention after Tara won the Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games a few weeks ago. Once Tara had her initial celebration, she quickly sprinted over to Hunter, sitting in the stands, and leaped into his arms for a warm embrace. The moment became a memorable moment from the 2024 games and highlighted their romance between each other and their love for track and field.
Nonetheless, the Paralympic Games will kick off its Opening Ceremony on August 28th, with its competition rounds beginning on August 29th and closing on September 8th. The games will feature 22 sports, including wheelchair fencing, taekwondo, wheelchair rugby, blind soccer, and more. Additionally. for the first time ever, the Paralympic’s Opening Ceremony will take place outside of a traditional stadium, mimicking the Olympic’s groundbreaking move.
