Community sends off Central IL Paralympic athletes as they prepare for Paris games

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — The 2024 Olympic Games have come and gone, but Paris isn’t done with world-class athletes yet.

The opening ceremonies for the Paralympic Games start August 28th. Eight of the competing athletes have very close ties to Central Illinois, and in particular, the University of Illinois.

On Wednesday, the university helped to send them off to Paris with a celebration.

Community members cheered and wished luck to eight athletes Wednesday afternoon on campus in Champaign. They’ll head to Paris next week for the Paralympic Games and represent Team USA.

Eva Houston is competing in 100-meter and 800-meter wheelchair racing. The recent U of I alum competed in the 2020 games but said the lead-up feels different this time around.

“Because of COVID, we didn’t really have a fan experience,” Houston said. “You know, my parents couldn’t join. So to have all this support and to be able to share this with our people and our community is so special.”

For others, like Aaron Pike, the games are nothing new.

“It’s sweet that we get to find a day like this, to get everybody out and meet everybody and see faces, and it’s a lot of fun,” Pike said.

Pike is a staple, competing seven times in both winter and summer games over the last 12 years. This year, he’ll race in the 1,500 and 5,000-meter events and cap it off with a marathon for good measure. The Illini alumnus said it’s no accident so many athletes have ties to the orange and blue.

“You’ve got people that trained and were athletes here at U of I, and that tradition just keeps growing and growing,” Pike said. “We’ve got huge teams out, especially in the track and field side as well as the basketball side, and that racing just continues to grow.”

The university even attracted Paralympic athletes without university connections. Daniel Romanchuk is racing in five different events later this month. He didn’t go to the University of Illinois but began training at the Rehabilitation Education Center on campus back in 2015.

“I think it’s really a unique mix of athletes, and coaching, and facilities — just a really, really unique mix that, you know, we all push each other, and it’s just overall a great place to be,” Romanchuk said.

It’s his hope that adaptive sports continue growing. And if people asking for signatures and pictures are any indicator, they will.

“It’s extremely vital, and it’s an incredible opportunity,” says Romanchuk.

The opening ceremony is on August 28th. Events in both wheelchair basketball and track will continue into September.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.