The 2024 Paralympics start in Paris on Wednesday, and a half dozen athletes with Virginia connections will be among the 4,400 Paralympians competing over 11 days.
The opening ceremony will be at 2 p.m. at the Champs-Élysées at the Place de la Concorde, with competitions beginning Thursday and running through September 8.
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee said 38 states are represented, with 141 returning Paralympians. Seventy-eight athletes are making their Paralympic debuts.
The 225-member 2024 U.S. Paralympic Team roster includes a four-time Paralympic medalist from Manassas, a Winchester native, a George Mason University alumnus, two people with University of Virginia connections, and a Tidewater Community College student.
Track and Field
Nicholas Mayhugh, 28, of Manassas, competes in his fourth Paralympics. He’s a track and field star looking to add to his collection of three gold medals and one silver.
Mayhugh played Division I soccer at Radford University. He was named U.S. Soccer Player of the Year with a Disability by the U.S. Soccer Federation in 2019.
As a teen, he was diagnosed with a mild form of cerebral palsy and discovered he was even better at track and field. He holds world records in the men’s T27 100- and 200-meter dashes and the 4x100m mixed medley relay.
Track and field competitions start on Friday.
Goalball
Four people with Virginia ties will compete in goalball, a sport designed for the visually impaired.
Making debuts on the goalball team will be Winchester native Zion Walker, 22, and Christian King, 24, of Virginia Beach, who goes to Tidewater Community College.
George Mason University 2021 graduate Calahan Young, who played in the 2020 Paralympic Games and hails from Pittsburgh, and Matt Simpson of Smyna, Georgia, who graduated from University of Virginia’s law school, also are on the team.
It’s the third Paralympics for Simpson, who was part of the team that won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Games.
The U.S. men’s goalball team plays Brazil at 3 a.m. on Friday.
Rowing
Skylar Dahl, a current student at the University of Virginia, also makes her Paralympics debut in Paris as part of the U.S. PR3 mixed four rowing team. The rowing competition begins at 3:30 a.m. on Friday.
Other Area Notables Who Are Competing
Trevor Jenifer, a three-time Paralympian, said he was very excited to participate in his fourth Paralympics in wheelchair basketball. He started playing wheelchair basketball in 1992 with the team Air Capital in DC. In a video on the Paralympics website, Jenifer, of Huntingtown, Maryland, said he was happy his wife, Laura, and two children would be in Paris to watch. Of Laura, he said, “Without her, this wouldn’t be possible.”
The para swimmer to watch will be Jessica Long, 32, of Baltimore. This will be her sixth Paralympics. She already holds 16 gold medals, eight silver, and five bronze.
How to Watch
Peacock will have live coverage of the competitions. NBC will have some of the competitions at 9 p.m. on August 29, 7 p.m. on September 1, and 9 p.m. on September 6.
You can see some of the Paralympics on the USA Network, starting Thursday, August 29.
Here’s the full schedule of events.
Feature image by Angel/stock.adobe.com
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