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Paralympians from the Sacramento region set to compete in Paris
By Jeremiah Martinez,
2024-08-28
(FOX40.COM) — With the Olympic Games ending earlier this month, all sights are set for the Paralympic Games in Paris.
The 2024 Paralympics begin on Aug. 28 with the opening ceremony and will conclude on Sept. 8. The Paralympic Games are an international competition for athletes with disabilities and usually takes place in the same host city as the Olympics.
Team USA is sending 225 athletes from 39 states to compete in the Paralympic Games. In California, there are multiple Paralympians with ties to the Sacramento region.
Jamie Whitmore (Para-cycling)
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – MARCH 07: (EDITORS NOTE: A special effects camera filter was used for this image.) Para-Cyclist Jamie Whitmore poses for a portrait at the 2016 Team USA Media Summit at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on March 7, 2016, in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Jamie Whitmore is making her third appearance in the Paralympic Games, previously competing in 2016 and 2020. She’ll compete in the Women’s C1-3 Individual Time Trial and Women’s C1-3 Road Race events.
Whitmore, a graduate of Valley High, is a two-time Paralympic medalist in para-cycling, winning gold and silver in two separate classes at the 2016 Summer Games in Brazil.
After graduating from California State University, Northridge, she became the most successful female athlete in XTERRA history with 37 wins, six national titles and one world championship, according to her Team USA bio.
She made the transition to para-cycling after being diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma.
USA’s Bryan Larsen (front) in action during the Men’s C5 Scratch Race during day one of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Glasgow. Picture date: Thursday, August 3, 2023. (Photo by Tim Goode/PA Images via Getty Images)
Placerville native Bryan Larsen will be competing for the first time in the Paralympic Games for Team USA’s para-cycling team.
Larsen is a Jesuit High School graduate and has been racing since he was a teenager. He began his journey to the Paralympic Games following a crash in 2019 when he lost mobility in his right arm.
He’s set to race in the Men’s C4 4000-meter individual pursuit event.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – JUNE 18: Leo Merle of the United States competes in the Men’s 1500 Meter Run T13/20/37/38 Ambulatory finals during the 2021 U.S. Paralympic Trials at Breck High School on June 18, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Folsom native Leo Merle will compete in the Paralympic Games in the Men’s T38 1,500-meter race, Merle. It will be his first time competing in the Paralympics.
The Folsom native was born with cerebral palsy, which affects the flexibility in his right foot and leg. Following his graduation from UC Santa Cruz, Merle earned his doctorate from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry.
Christella Garcia (Judo)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – SEPTEMBER 10: Deanne Silva de Almeida (blue) of Brazil battles with Christella Garcia of the United States of America during the Women’s +70 kg Judo Bronze Medal match on Day 3 of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games on September 10, 2016, at the Carioca Arena 3 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Bruna Prado/Getty Images)
The judo competition will feature Sacramento native Christella Garica, who is a two-time Paralympian and bronze medalist.
Garcia last competed in the Paralympics in 2016 when she won a bronze medal in Brazil. Her first Paralympic appearance was at the London Games in 2012.
The Sacramento native trains in both San Bruno and Sacramento, according to her bio on Team USA’s website.
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN – MAY 11:Mark Barr of team United States of America competes during the World Triathlon Championship Series Yokohama on May 11, 2024 in Yokohama, Japan. (Photo by Moto Yoshimura/Getty Images)
Davis native Mark Barr will make his fourth appearance in the Paralympic Games in the para-triathlon.
He competed in the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games as a swimmer and later transitioned to the para-triathlon in 2016 in Brazil, according to his Team USA bio.
Barr lost his right leg due to bone cancer as a teenager. When he’s not training, Barr works as a registered nurse in the trauma surgical ICU unit.
Roderick Townsend (Track and field)
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 11: Roderick Townsend of team United States of America celebrates during Men’s High Jump T46 during day four of the Para Athletics World Championships Paris 2023 at Stade Charlety on July 11, 2023, in Paris, France. (Photo by Moto Yoshimura/Getty Images)
Roderick Townsend from Stockton will compete in the Men’s high and long jump events in the T47 class. It’ll be his third time competing in the Paralympics.
At the 2020 Summer Paralympics, Townsend won gold in the high jump and silver in the long jump.
Townsend is from Stockton and was a member of Lincoln High School’s varsity football for two years and served as team captain for one of those seasons, according to his Team USA bio. Townsend sustained permanent nerve damage to his right arm and shoulder at birth.
MIRAMAR, FLORIDA – JULY 20: Kym Crosby runs to victory in the Women 100M 13 Final on Day 3 of the 2024 U.S. Paralympics Team Trials on July 20, 2024 at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Florida. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Kym Crosby from Yuba City will compete in the Women’s 100-meter and Women’s 400-meter races in the T13 class.
Crosby is making her third appearance in the Paralympian Games, previously competing in 2016 and 2020. She is a three-time Paralympic medalist with three total bronze medals.
According to her Team USA bio, Crosby is legally blind with 20/400 vision and was born with albinism, which leaves her without pigment in her skin.
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