5 American Athletes To Watch At The Paris Paralympic Games!

The Olympics are over and we all feel a bit of emptiness from being unable to turn the TV on and see the best athletes around the world represent their countries and achieve their dreams in a wide array of events. After all, the Summer Games only happen every 4 years. But what if I told you the excitement doesn’t have to end yet? The Paralympics start this week! The athletes are in Paris, in the Olympic Village, which means more sports, medals, moments, and, of course, muffins!

If you are eager to wear your USA shirt again and cheer on athletes worldwide, here are some American Paralympic athletes you cannot miss during the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games!

1. Hunter Woodhall

A familiar face to anyone who saw Tara Davis-Woodhall compete just a few weeks ago in the Long Jump. Yup, that guy whose arms she jumped into after her Gold Medal performance is none other than Paralympian Hunter Woodhall. He is also a Track athlete known for running the 200- and 400-meter races. Hunter had to have his legs amputated when he was just a baby due to fibular hemimelia. However, he still learned to walk, run, and play sports like other kids. He found his love for Track in high school and beat all odds when he was able to run for the University of Arkansas. Woodhall has been competing in the Paralympic games since 2016, winning Bronze in the 400-meter Sprint and silver in the 200-meter Sprint. He will compete in the 400m, 100m, and 4x100m races this year.

2. Jessica Long

Jessica Long is the second-most decorated Paralympian. This year, she will compete in her 6th Paralympic Games! She began her Paralympic journey at just 12 years old at the 2004 Athens Games. The Paralympic swimmer was born with the same condition as Hunter Woodhall: fibular hemimelia. She had both her legs amputated at 18 months. Before landing on swimming, the Russian adoptee did many sports growing up, including gymnastics, cheerleading, ice skating, and rock climbing. She later won her first Paralympic medal after winning Gold in the 100m Freestyle, 400m Freestyle, and 4x100m Freestyle Relay while being the youngest athlete at the Athens Games. Long is an extremely diverse athlete, competing in all strokes during her career, recently winning the 100m Breaststroke and the 100m Backstroke at the US Paralympic Trials. The 32-year-old is far from done with her incredible swimming career and will surely dominate the pool in Paris this month.

3. Ezra Frech

Ezra Frech is a 19-year-old Paralympic athlete currently gearing up for his second Paralympic Games. Born without most of his left leg and fingers on his left hand, he has been using a prosthetic leg since he was 11 months old. Frech played basketball, soccer, and karate before starting Track and Field at 8 years old. Breaking records ever since he was a kid, Frech just broke his world record in the High Jump at the Paralympic Trials, jumping over 1.97 meters. Also competing in the Long Jump and 100m Sprint, Frech is a multi-talented athlete. After just missing his shot at medaling at the 2020 Tokyo Games, Frech was determined to come back stronger, ready to aim for that Paralympic medal. Still a teenager, Frech will compete in the High Jump in Paris this Summer in the 2024 Paris Games, and he hopes to make another return for L.A. 2028!

4. Anastasia Pagonis

Anastasia Pagonis is a blind 20-year-old Paralympic swimmer. She suffered from Autoimmune retinopathy when she was 11 and became fully blind by the age of 14. She began swimming shortly after she started losing her eyesight at the age of 12 and has not stopped since. In February 2020, Pagonis made her international debut at the WPS World Series event in Melbourne, Australia. She later made her Paralympic debut just a year later, in the Summer of 2021. Pagonis swam the 400-meter Freestyle and the 200-meter IM, securing medals in both events -- a Bronze in the Medley and a Gold in the 400m. After an MRI revealed Pagonis had a tear in her shoulder, she had no choice but to undergo surgery for her injury and only returned to the pool in December. While she will not compete in the 200-meter IM this month, she is a must-watch for the Freestyle races.

5. Steve Serio

Steve Serio is a Wheelchair Basketball player and 5-time Paralympian. When he was 11 months old, he received surgery to remove a tumor in his spinal cord that left him paralyzed. He began playing Wheelchair Basketball in high school when he was 15 and competing in the Paralympic Games in 2008 in Beijing, where the U.S. team did not medal. He lead the team to Gold in Rio 2016, the first U.S. gold since 1988. The U.S. Wheelchair Basketball team won Gold in Tokyo 2020 and hopes to reclaim their title this year as Steve Serio plans to retire after the Paris Games. Serio will also be the flag bearer during the Paralympic Opening Ceremony. 

The Paralympics are not to be slept on! You can catch the Opening Ceremony on Wednesday, August 28, and watch/stream the games on all NBC channels and affiliates (Peacock, CNBC, USA Network, etc.). Go Team USA!