ST. LOUIS — A "magnificent" kickoff to the 2024 Paris Paralympics is scheduled to take place in the heart of the French capital city on Aug. 28.
"The ceremony will open with a popular parade on the iconic Champs-Elysées, involving up to 184 delegations from around the world," according to the Paralympic Games website. "Paris 2024 will ensure that universal accessibility is incorporated into all aspects of the ceremony so that athletes, participants and spectators can enjoy an experience that is free from any barriers."
Para cycling track, para swimming, wheelchair rugby and more will mark the beginning of the Games scheduled to last through Sept. 8 with thousands of athletes representing their countries.
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Eight athletes from the St. Louis region will be representing the area on Team USA. A list of the athletes who have qualified for the Games can be found below.
St. Louis native Colleen Young is already a record-breaker heading into the Paris Paralympics.
Young was born with albinism and is legally blind. She played soccer and softball as a child, but fell in love with swimming at the age of 7 after realizing she only had to focus on herself during the sport, rather than on a ball, according to Team USA.
Her passion for swimming led her to become the youngest member of Team USA's Paralympic Swimming Team in 2012 at 14 years old. She is also a 3-time Paralympic medalist, including a silver medal and bronze medal at the Tokyo Paralympic Games and a bronze medal at the Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games.
Young swam three events during the 2024 Paralympic Trials, taking her lane for the 100m breaststroke, the 100m free and the 200 IM, according to Fairfield University.
She will make her debut in Paris at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3 during the women's 200m Individual Medley heats.
The Decatur, Illinois, native just recently made her introduction to Team USA with a bang.
At her first World Championships Experience in 2023, Malkamaki nabbed a gold medal. She then did the same thing at the 2024 competition. Then, at the recent 2024 U.S. Paralympic Team Trials, she made history by breaking her previous world record in the F46 shot put event.
Malkamaki will get the chance to make history again in the women's shot put - F46 final in Paris at 3:05 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 4.
The St. Louis native and Mizzou sophomore has been training since she was 8 to get her opportunity to go for the gold.
"Amaris Vazquez Collazo was born to run. And jump. And shatter any stereotypes, expectations, doubts or other preconceived notions people have about individuals with disabilities," a Mizzou profile on the athlete said.
Vazquez Collazo will represent Team Puerto Rico at the Paris Paralympics as she competes in the long jump, 100-meter dash, and 200-meter dash. Her family moved from Cayey, Puerto Rico, to Lake St. Louis when she was 3, just a year after Vazquez Collazo received her first prosthetic leg and started moving instantly.
“Since I was 8, I’ve been telling everybody I know that my goal was to go to the Paris Games in 2024,” she told Mizzou. “When I got that confirmation call that I’m actually going — I don’t even think it’s hit me yet. These goals that I’ve had for myself since I was a child are actually coming true.”
She will make her debut in Paris on Aug. 31 at 3 a.m. in the women's long jump final.
The Naperville, Illinois, native and Saint Louis University professor originally learned about wheelchair rugby while volunteering during occupational therapy school, according to USA Wheelchair Rugby.
Adam was classed into the sport in 2019 and soon became a silver medalist in 2022. She most recently led the USA Rugby team to a gold medal finish at the Parapan American Games 2023. She's also the only woman on Team USA's wheelchair rugby roster heading into Paris.
"When I couldn't compete in able-bodied sports, I needed to fill that gap," Adam previously told USA Wheelchair Rugby. "Wheelchair rugby fills that need to be active and competitive. I grew up with two brothers, and both my parents were athletes growing up, so I've always had a sports-minded upbringing.”
Adam and Team USA's first Paralympic match in Paris is against Canada on Aug. 29 at 6:30 a.m.
The Nashville, Illinois, native and Maryville University of St. Louis alum has seen a lot of change in his decade of playing wheelchair rugby.
“It’s grown a lot, and it’s turned the sport into a fast-paced demolition derby,” Newby previously told Team USA, “and it’s really fun.”
Newby, the co-captain of this year's U.S. Paralympic team, is a two-time Paralympic medalist. He and Team USA scored silver medals at both the Tokyo Paralympics and the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics. He also scored a silver medal at the 2022 World Championships Experience and a bronze at the 2014 competition.
“Being such a new team, we kind of ditched all expectations because we really didn’t know how the year was going to go,” Newby told Team USA. “And being on top, we don’t really talk about it. We don’t even think about it. We just know that we have a job to do, and we’re here to finish that job.
Newby and Team USA's first Paralympic match in Paris is against Canada on Aug. 29 at 6:30 a.m.
The Richview, Illinois, native and Southern Illinois University - Carbondale alum is already known as a two-time Paralympic medalist heading into Paris.
Melton helped Team USA secure silver medals at both the Tokyo Paralympics and the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics. He also secured a silver medal at the 2022 World Championships Experience and bronze medals at the 2018 and 2014 competitions.
Melton started to play wheelchair rugby 5 years after a driving crash caused a spinal cord injury, according to Team USA. When he isn't on the court, Melton enjoys fishing, hunting, and spending as much time as possible with his wife, Kelly, and their three children.
Melton and Team USA's first Paralympic match in Paris is against Canada on Aug. 29 at 6:30 a.m.
The Champaign, Illinois, native and University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign alum was first introduced to track and field by someone with a lot of love in his heart.
Siemann's high school coach, Joe McLaughlin, not only introduced Siemann to track and field but also teamed up with other high school staff members and Project Freedom to raise funds and donate Siemann his first racing chair, according to Team USA.
Since that act of kindness, Siemann has competed at the highest level for more than two decades. The three-time Paralympian has raced in numerous events and most recently earned two bronze medals at the 2023 World Championships Experience in the 400 meter and 800 meter races.
He will make his debut in Paris on Sept. 5 at 12 p.m. during the men's 800m heats.
The St. Louis cyclist will pilot during the para-cycling event along with California resident Branden Walton.
Seggebruch, a USA Cycling national team member, has trained separately from Walton in St. Louis, but the pair has already made their presence known on the world stage. They burst onto the international track cycling scene at the 2024 UCI Para-Cycling World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, finishing sixth in the individual pursuit.
The pair will make their debut in Paris on Sept. 1 at 4 a.m. in the men's 1000m time trial qualifying rounds.
