3 Athletes to Paris Paralympic Games!

3 ParaSport Spokane athletes have been selected to represent team USA at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games in Para Track and Field.

A team of 10 athletes from ParaSport Spokane descended onto the Team USA Para Track and Field Trials this past weekend at the Ansin Sport Complex in Miramar Florida.

3 athletes performances garnered them a slot to wear the prestigious Red White and Blue in Paris during the Paralympic Games next month (Aug 28-Sept 8th). The Para Track and Field team of 54 athletes is comprised of 28 male and 26 female athletes. All three athletes are competing at their first Paralympic Games.

Lauren Fields -18 -T34 Wheelchair Racer
Fields leveled up her performance at the trials setting two massive personal records in the 100m and 800m to make her first international Para Track and Field team and first Paralympic Games team. Lauren is a recent Valley Christian School Graduate and Spokane Sports Commission Youth Sport Award Nominee, will be heading to the University of Illinois on a wheelchair racing scholarship.
100m -2nd 19.74
800m -2nd -2:29.70

Lindi Marcusen -28 -T63 Sprinter / Jumper
Lindi set her sights on being the first female above the knee sprinter to break 15 seconds at the trials. And she did it! An American Record, a personal record and her ticket punched to her first international Para Track and Field Team and first Paralympic Games. Lindi will also be competing in the Long Jump while in Paris. She’s grateful for the support from Evergreen Prosthetics and Orthotics as well as Ottobock in ensuring that her prosthetic performance needs are met.
100m -1st -14.95 (Lindi also ran a faster 14.87 but the wind reading was too high to be eligible for the record to stand)
Long Jump -2nd -3.89m

Taylor Swanson -31 -T37 Sprinter
After a strong 2 silver medal showing at the World Championships this summer, Swanson is looking to back up this performance in Paris at her first Paralympic Games. Taylor raced to two wins in the 100m and 200m at the trials coming very close to her personal and American records. Taylor is also grateful for the support from Evergreen Prosthetics and Orthotics in ensuring her orthotic needs are met to support her performance goals.

Taylor will be competing against 2x Paralympic Silver Medalist Jaleen Roberts (ParaSport Spokane Alumni now training at the Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Chula Vista)
100m -1st -12.69
200m -1st -26.91

Media!
KHQ-'Powerful Symbol of Hope'
Spokesman Review
Spokane Public Radio

Full trials results will be posted here:
https://www.usparatf.org/competition-information

Fun Facts:
7 of the 26 female athletes names have ties to ParaSport Spokane.
Joining the three current members are ParaSport Alumni athletes, Susannah Scaroni, Hannah Dederick, Jaleen Roberts and Annie Carey.
50% of the women’s wheelchair racing athletes have ties to ParaSport Spokane.
3 of the five female athletes with cerebral palsy have ties to ParaSport Spokane.
Marcusen is the first amputee athlete from ParaSport Spokane to qualify for the Paralympic Games.
ParaSport Spokane Coaches Teresa Skinner and David Greig will also be in Paris representing team USA in differing capacities. Skinner as a wheelchair racing coach in Para Track and Field and a personal coach for Fields; and Greig in his role as the High Performance Chair for The National Wheelchair Basketball Association and as a personal coach for Swanson and Marcusen.

The entire ParaSport Spokane Paris 2024 Track and Field Trials Crew