Meet the Illinois athletes competing in the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris

The Paralympic games kick off Wednesday in Paris, and Illinois athletes will be well represented.

The big picture: Except for California, Illinois boasts the most athletes on the Team USA roster . Fourteen Illinois athletes will compete, with nine of them hailing from the University of Illinois.

• Also, the university's head coach of the wheelchair track and road racing team, Adam Bleakney, will helm Team USA.

Yes, but: Some athletes went to UIUC and aren't actually from the state.

Zoom in: The university is the national training center for wheelchair racing, as well as the birthplace for wheelchair basketball.

• The local Paralympians will compete in sports including Wheelchair Rugby and Para Shooting.

The athletes include:

• 🏉 Sarah Adam from Naperville will compete in Wheelchair Rugby.
• 🥇 Owen Cravens from Algonquin will compete in Paratriathlon.
• 🔫 Marco Delarosa from Chicago will compete in Para Shooting.
• 🏀 Ixhelt Gonzalez from Chicago will compete in Wheelchair Basketball.
• 🥇 Kendall Gretsch from Downers Grove will compete in Paratriathlon.
• 🦽 Isaac Jean-Paul from Evanston will compete in Para Track and Field.
• 🏊‍♀️ Keegan Knott from Lake Villa will compete in Para Swimming.
• 🏊 Ahalya Lettenberger from Glen Ellyn will compete in Para Swimming.
• 🏉 Chuck Melton from Richview will compete in Wheelchair Rugby.
• 🦽 Noelle Malkamakii from Decatur will compete in Para Track and Field.
• 🏉 Eric Newby from Nashville will compete in Wheelchair Rugby.
• 🦽 Brian Siemann from Champaign will compete in Para Track and Field.
• 🏀 Emily Oberst from Chicago will compete in Wheelchair Basketball.

Fun fact: This is the first time that all 22 Paralympic sports will be broadcast live .

How to watch: The Paralympics kick off Wednesday and run through Sept. 8.

• Viewers can tune in via NBC, USA Network, and CNBC, and the network's Peacock streaming service.

📆 Go deeper with the full roster and schedule .