Amputee athlete Femita Ayanbeku surprised everyone, including herself, by making the 2016 Paralympic team. For the 2020 Paralympics, no one will be surprised if she brings home a medal.
Tag: Track & Field
Takeaways from the Paralympic Trials: The Athletes Speak
We combed US athletes' Instagram feeds to get a sense of their highs and lows in the wake of the Paralympic Trials. Here's a sampling of their reaction.
My Son, the Paralympian: Deborah Jackson’s Journey of Discovery
Deborah Jackson relied on the adaptive sports community as her son Desmond progressed toward the Paralympics. That community, she says, was a powerful vehicle for her own personal growth.
The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games—Storylines to Watch
The Tokyo Paralympics will offer more drama than anyone can keep track of. Here are some key narratives involving US competitors with limb difference.
Trenten Merrill Thinks the Paralympics Deserve Equal Time
Amputee athlete Trenten Merrill thinks athletes and fans would benefit from a joint national meet that brings Olympians and Paralympians together in a single venue.
John Register: The Distance From Silver to Gold
In this era of specialized prosthetic technology, mismatches between amputee and device are common. Even Paralympians aren’t immune, as silver medalist John Register explains.
US Paralympic Trials: Six Amputee Athletes to Know
These six amputee athletes have a lot at stake during this week’s US Paralympic Trials. They're not well known yet—but they might be after the Tokyo Games conclude.
Desmond Jackson Blazes the Trail
Amputee athlete Desmond Jackson is blazing trails and advancing the cause of cultural inclusion for amputees, people with disabilities, and people of color.
For Ezra Frech, It’s About Way More Than the Medals
Paralympic athlete Ezra Frech believes passionately that adaptive sports can empower all people with disabilities and help everyone—even non-athletes—feel like a champion.
Ezra Frech Feels the Love
He won’t turn 16 until May, but Ezra Frech already has a higher profile than most Paralympic athletes. As the co-founder of Angel City Sports, Frech (rhymes with “tech”) has helped open doors to athletic opportunity for thousands of people with limb difference and other disabilities. After grabbing silver medals in the long jump and...
Hunter Woodhall Gets Back to Business
When COVID put the Paralympics on hold, amputee athlete Hunter Woodhall didn’t need long to figure out how to rechannel his energy. He launched a new company. And he didn’t worry about the stuff he couldn’t control.
5 Amputee Paralympians on the Rise
Meet five amputee athletes who hope not only to make their Paralympic debuts in Tokyo later this year, but to win medals there.
Tokyo 2021: Lacey Henderson Looks Ahead
When we spoke to Lacey Henderson back on March 19, the Paralympics were still supposedly going to be held on schedule in August 2020. She no longer had a place to train, though—her regular training facility had closed a few days earlier—and all the spring qualifying meets had been called off.
Stay-at-home Workouts by Amputees, for Amputees
Without access to the gym, pool, track or weight room, it's difficult to maintain optimum levels of physical and mental health—and the longer our forced inactivity lasts, the greater the long-term health hazards.
Hunter Woodhall’s New Legs
Hunter Woodhall is one of the biggest stars and most recognizable faces on the US Paralympics team. We’ll be talking to Hunter regularly throughout 2020 as he prepares for his second Paralympic Games and pursues his first gold medal(s) in track and field. This conversation took place in late February, after Hunter wrapped up a long weekend with prosthetist Francois Van Der Watt.