Roundup: The Paralympics Are Up Next In Paris

Every other week we scour the web for the latest going on in the world of U.S. Para track and field. Here’s what you missed!

Hyping Up The Paralympics

With the Olympic Games officially over, some people already began wondering how they would handle their withdrawals from watching so many sporting events over the past two weeks.

Four-time Paralympic medalist Nick Mayhugh had an easy answer.

Mayhugh is set to compete in his second Paralympics when the Paris Games kick off on Aug. 28. To help promote the Games, he posted multiple times on social media reminding his followers that the Closing Ceremony of the Olympics doesn’t mean Paris is done hosting international sporting events this summer.

Mayhugh isn’t the only athlete making sure people know when the Paralympics are starting. Trenten Merrill went as far as letting his followers know exactly when he’ll be competing in the long jump. He’s aiming to match or improve upon his bronze in the men’s T64 event from Tokyo.

Swag Bag

Speaking of Merrill, he posted a video on his Instagram sharing all the gear that Team USA sent him ahead of his third Paralympic Games.

Can you keep count of how many articles of clothing he received?

Celebratory Send Off

Qualifying for the Paralympics almost seems routine for Tatyana McFadden now, as she’s competed at every Summer Games since 2004 — with an appearance in the 2014 Winter Paralympics mixed in as well.

Earning that spot is always a big deal, though, and McFadden’s family and friends made sure to celebrate. They threw a going away party for the 20-time Paralympic medalist that featured a banner in the front yard, a cardboard cutout and a patriotic cake to honor the most decorated track athlete on Team USA.

Short Trip Home

While McFadden is set to leave for Paris, Hunter Woodhall just got back from the French capital after he attended the Olympics to watch his wife, Tara Davis-Woodhall, win gold in the women’s long jump.

Woodhall posted some photos of his time in Paris onto his Instagram account, including a picture of himself wearing Davis-Woodhall’s gold medal.

“I can’t put into words the emotions I’ve felt over the past week and my brain isn’t working well enough to explain how I feel,” Woodhall wrote. “But I am just grateful and so unbelievably proud.”

Hand Humor

In a recent video, now three-time Olympic men’s shot put champion Ryan Crouser explained that his right hand, the one he tosses the shot with, is bigger than his left hand.

Two-time women’s shot put F46 world champion Noelle Malkamaki, who was born without a left hand, made her own version of the video showing her case of “shot put hand.”

Jokes about having one hand are nothing new for Malkamaki, but her audience doesn’t always play along, as she explained in a recent Instagram post.

Moving On To 2028

Brianna Salinaro made her Paralympic debut in Tokyo while competing in taekwondo.

When her classification was removed from the sport ahead of the Paris Games, she made the transition into track and field to attempt to qualify for the Paralympics as a sprinter.  

Salinaro adjusted to the sport quickly, winning two golds at the 2023 Parapan American Games before breaking her own national record in the women’s 200-meter T35 at the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials last month. However, Salinaro didn’t qualify for the U.S. team heading to Paris later this month.

With time to reflect since trials, Salinaro says she wasn’t fully ready to compete for a medal in Paris. She’ll now have four years to get herself ready to get on the podium in Los Angeles.

“After walking off the mat in Tokyo I’ve always said if I ever were to go for another Paralympics I didn’t want to be there unless I was in medal contention,” she wrote. “It’s not always about the medal and just qualifying for the Games is an honor. It’s just a personal goal of mine.”

Luke Hanlon is a sportswriter and editor based in Minneapolis. He is a freelance contributor to usparatf.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.