Team USA Makes Big Announcement Before 2024 Paralympics

Team USA’s Paralympic Track & Field squad heading to the 2024 Paris Paralympics features 54 athletes —28 men and 26 women—ready to compete.

Highlighting the group is Tatyana McFadden, competing in her seventh Games, having won 20 Paralympic medals in the T54 classification, which is for wheelchair track athletes with full hand and near-normal trunk function, enabling them to compete in high-speed events like sprints and distance races. McFadden's taken home eight golds, and she has secured 24 World Major Marathon victories, including four consecutive Grand Slams , where she won the Boston, Chicago, New York City, and London marathons in the same year.

And then there's Roderick Townsend, who will compete in the T47 class for athletes with upper limb impairments. Townsend has taken home multiple gold medals and world titles in the high jump and looks to extend his unbeaten streak in major competitions.

Ahead of the start to the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games on Aug. 28, Team USA made a significant announcement on Monday by naming both McFadden and Townsend as the team captains for the track and field events.

Townsend participates in the long jump and high jump competitions, where he won gold in both events at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.

Townsend followed up by winning a gold medal in the high jump and silver in the long jump at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.

For both athletes, being named captains of the Team USA track and field team will truly be an honor as both look to capture the gold medals in their respective events.

The opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games is on Aug. 28 at 2 p.m. ET, airing on USA Network. The Games will continue until the closing ceremony on Sept. 8.