The word “Paralympic” comes from combining the Greek preposition para meaning “beside” with “Olympics.” Its meaning represents how two different movements coexist side-by-side. The Paralympics is a global event where exceptionally talented athletes with disabilities display their remarkable achievements by overcoming challenges to compete at the international level.
The Paris 2024 Games will be the largest sports tournament ever held in Paris. The Paralympics will span twelve days, from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, 2024. Here are some of the athletes that will be competing.
Diede De Groot, a Dutch Paralympic tennis player, has faced tremendous challenges including a prosthetic leg and hip surgeries from a young age. Despite the issues she faces, she’s become a force to be reckoned with in wheelchair tennis with 36 Grand Slam wins. Even though De Groot plays effortlessly, she still faces a lot of pressure to win. In an interview with CNN Sports, she said “There’s so much pressure. Even last year, that Golden Slam was like a little bit of a dark cloud.”
Playing her first Grand Slam at the 2017 Australian Open, De Groot was defeated by Sabine Ellerbrock in the opening round. Yet again, she failed to convert her match points in the French Open. She maintained her focus by setting smaller goals unrelated to outcomes and enjoys celebrating with her coach. De Groot’s mental game has improved, helping her overcome setbacks like a defeat at the 2017 Australian Open.
Her rivalry with Yui Kamiji of Japan has made both players better thinkers on the court. De Groot aspires to increase visibility for wheelchair tennis and hopes for more fans in the stands at tournaments like Wimbledon. “It would be great to have just some people be like, you know what, I’m going to go to Wimbledon today just to see the wheelchair tennis because they’re so amazing,” she said.
Runners in the Paralympics have challenges that Olympic athletes don’t. This includes lack of resources for coaching, training and healthcare. One of these runners is Dani Aravich of the United States, who runs the 400m in T47 classification; this includes athletes with upper-limb impairment on one side. Aravich was born without her left hand and forearm. In an interview with Outside Magazine, she said, “Since my category of Paralympic track has an arm impairment, we are most impacted by the imbalances of our body. There is a lot of wasted energy since the chest rotates due to weight imbalance and sprinting requires a bit of arm swing.”
Avavich said she experienced a period of competition blues. She wasn’t sure if what she gave up was worth the sacrifice. Her career has taught her that passion expands past the medal podium. She mentors kids through organizations like Challenged Athlete Foundation, NubAbility and the National Ability Center to inspire the next generation that might not see anyone who looks like them.
Ibrahim Hamadtou of Egypt, a table tennis player who plays with his feet and mouth. Defying the odds, Hamadtou, who is a double amputee, plays with the table tennis racquet in his mouth and serves the ball using his feet. In an interview with NBC Sports Hamadtou recalls an important memory, “One of the most important memories that I will never forget was when one of my friends told me to stick with something you can do.”
This sparked something within him to prove his friend wrong and demonstrate that he could play a sport. He recalled a memory of when after the train accident that led to his amputation, he despised the looks of pity and sympathy on people’s faces to the point where he would only go out late at night.
Hamadtou talks about how table tennis caught his eye when he visited the youth center, “But when I visited the youth center, table tennis caught my eye. The first thing I tried was to hold the paddle under my armpits, but I failed. He then thought to himself, “Why don’t I try playing with my mouth?” This is where his love for table tennis began.
Hamadtou talks about the challenges; he mentions how much effort is put into his play, “Sometimes people try to imitate me, thinking it’s that easy. It’s not easy at all. I need to strengthen my legs constantly because I rely on my legs more than any other player.” He has to strengthen his neck and teeth continuously. The paddle cannot move at all because if it does, he will lose his ability to play.
Hamadtou describes how there’s love and mutual friendship among most players. While Hamadtou is targeting the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, he also has ambitions outside of sports: he envisions a new career in politics. He wants to represent people with disabilities in Egypt and discuss their needs and rights. He seeks for the Paralympics to be a motivation for many that nothing is impossible.
Written by Faith Kim of Seneca Valley High School
Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia