17 Fascinating Facts About Famous Paralympic Athletes (18 photos)
The Paris Paralympic Games are coming to an end soon. Here are some interesting facts about the Paralympians competing in the 2024 Games. 
1. British archer Jodie Greenham won gold and bronze medals while seven months pregnant 
She told BBC Wales: "All I wanted to do at the end was jump up and down, cry, scream and yell. But because I was so pregnant, the best thing for me to do was sit down and rest, and then I could cuddle and stuff. It was just like when you were a kid and you got your favorite toy for Christmas." She is now expecting her second child.
2. Track and Field: Olympic silver and two-time bronze medalist Hunter Woodhall is married to Olympic gold medalist Tara Davis-Woodhall 
Both are on the U.S. track and field team. They met at the 2017 Idaho Track and Field Championships. In 2021, Hunter told Elle, “My first impression of her was that she was gorgeous. She came up to me and gave me a hug. No questions asked... I was like, ‘Wow, this girl is brave — she knows what she wants.’” In the same interview, Tara said, “When I first saw him, I was like, ‘Oh my God! This guy is gorgeous!’ I had to find out who he was.”
3. Italian sprinter Valentina Petrillo is the first trans runner to compete in the Paralympics 
She is also the second trans athlete to compete in the games. There is rumored to be a documentary about her. She told the Advocate: “I, like all transgender people who do not identify with their biological sex, should not be discriminated against in the same way that race, religion or political ideology should not be discriminated against. And sport, which sets rules based on binary thinking, does not take this into account. It is up to sport to find a solution, and excluding transgender athletes is clearly not the solution.” The first transgender Paralympic athlete was the late Dutch discus thrower Ingrid van Kraenen, who competed at the 2016 Rio Games.
4. American archer Matt Stutzman prepared for Paris by creating an 'adrenaline-pumping' target practice scenario at home 
He set out to shoot at a target with his silver medal hanging on it, but he upped the ante by removing the doors from his race car, parking it in front of the target, and shooting through his house with the front and back doors open. He made the shot without damaging any of his prized possessions.
He told Olympics.com, "I wanted to create a risky, adrenaline-pumping situation. I knew that if I missed, I would either put a hole in the house, or I would put a hole in my racing car, which is very dear to me, and more importantly, if I missed, I would put an arrow in an irreplaceable Paralympic medal. I knew that I had to do it right and make sure that it would count. And my heart started beating like crazy. And then I shot."
5. At 246 cm, Iranian volleyball player Morteza Mehrzadselakjani is the second tallest man in the world 
He reportedly decided to sleep on the floor in the athletes' village because the bed provided was not suitable for him.
6. American track and field athletes Ryan Medrano and Noel Lambert competed in the 43rd season of Survivor in 2022. Ryan placed ninth, while Noel placed eighth 
7. American archer Tracy Otto accepted her partner Ricky Riessl's marriage proposal under the Eiffel Tower after the competition 
Making their stay in Paris even more special, the couple also announced that they are expecting their first child together in January.
8. Team USA diver Roderick Townsend went to a Paris salon to get his hair dyed Picasso-style before the competition because he's a "showman" 
He told CBS News, "What if I got booed? I'd still dive."
9. After the match, Brazilian badminton player Rogerio Junior Xavier de Oliveira got down on one knee to propose to his partner Edwarda Dias, a Brazilian Paralympic volleyball player 
The piece of paper reads: "Edwarda, will you marry me?" In his other hand, he holds a ring box.
10. Indian archer Sheetal Devi dreamed of becoming a teacher when she grew up, but took up archery at age 14. Three years later, she reached the Paralympic level 
She told the Times of India: “It was destined to be so and I am happy with my career choice. I can now support my farmer parents financially. There is no greater joy than representing my country at the highest level.”
11. American judoka Liana Mutia, who also works as a software engineer for Comcast, prepares for her matches by studying her opponents using data analysis 
Liana prepares for months before competitions by creating spreadsheets with information about her opponents. She told Team USA, “My method is called test-driven development. It’s a special type of data analysis that involves looking for imbalances and patterns in the data you receive… and then you find solutions in those patterns.”
12. French sprinter Marie Ngoussou, 15, is the youngest Paralympian on Team France. After the Games, she plans to study nursing for the elderly and children 
However, her dream is to become a coach.
13. U.S. fencer Ellen Geddes is a former equestrian 
She works with horses as a breeder, manager, trainer, and instructor on her parents' farm in South Carolina. She dreams of one of the horses she has bred competing in the Olympic equestrian events.
14. American swimmer Jessica Long was just 12 years old when she made her debut at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games, where she won three gold medals 
She didn't start swimming until she was 10.
15. Colombian sprinter and jumper Karen Tatiana Palomeque's pre-race ritual is to paint a small Colombian flag on her face 
In previous competitions, she painted her nails in the colors of her national flag.
16. American swimmer Anastasia Pagonis has a popular TikTok account with 2.5 million followers 
She creates beauty and lifestyle content, and educates her viewers about what it's like to live as a blind person. She also helps beauty brands develop more accessible packaging for their products.
17. And finally, French sprinter Timothée Adolphe is also a hip-hop artist! 
He also created the first inclusive multiplayer video game that can be played by both visually impaired and non-visually impaired gamers. The video game uses binaural audio to immerse visually impaired players.
