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Ready to Shine

August 26, 2024
By Rebecca Zissou and Jasmine Ting

As You Read, Think About: Which of these athletes would you most like to see compete? Why?

Jim McMahon/Mapman® 

The Olympics aren’t the only big sporting event taking place in Paris, France, this summer. Starting August 28, the city will also host the Paralympics. It’s the world’s biggest competition for athletes with disabilities. Athletes from more than 110 countries will compete in 22 sports. Meet three athletes who hope to bring home gold medals for Team USA.

Henry Browne/Action Images via Reuters 

Lex Gillette takes flight at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships. 

Lex Gillette

Sport: Long Jump

Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina

What’s it like to soar through the air as people cheer you on? Long jumper Lex Gillette says it’s like being a superhero.

“It definitely is a really cool feeling,” he says. “It makes you feel larger than life.” 

Gillette competes with the aid of a guide, who stands at the end of the runway. The guide claps his hands and yells “Fly, fly, fly!” That lets Gillette know where to run. Gillette counts out exactly 16 strides before making his jump. 

He has been totally blind since he was 8 years old, but Gillette never let his disability become a barrier. He holds the world record for the longest jump by a totally blind athlete: 22 feet, 2 inches. He’s already won five silver Paralympic medals. Now Gillette hopes to win gold in Paris.*

“There’s going to be different challenges and things that might try to trip you up,” he says. “But always believe that you have what it takes to keep pushing forward.”

*At press time, Gillette still needed to officially earn a spot on the U.S. Paralympic team.

Sipa USA/Alamy Stock Photo

Ixhelt González takes a shot during a game against Chile last November.

Ixhelt González

Sport: Wheelchair Basketball

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Ixhelt González is usually shy. But that changes when she’s playing wheelchair basketball.

“I’m very aggressive on the court,” González says.

González began playing wheelchair basketball when she was about 7 years old. When she was 13, in 2018, she made the U.S. women’s national team. As a member of Team USA, she won a bronze medal at the Paralympics in 2021. 

González doesn’t use a wheelchair in daily life. But her disability can be painful. Her thigh bones and feet are turned inward. This prevents her from walking long distances and running and jumping like other people can. But she says she’s grateful for the opportunities her disability have made possible. 

“It allows me to play wheelchair basketball on the world stage,” she says. “It’s taken me all over the world and allowed me to make new friends.” 

Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Matt Stutzman aims at a target at the Paralympics in 2021.

Matt Stutzman

Sport: Archery

Hometown: Kalona, Iowa

Hitting a target with a bow and arrow isn’t easy. But in 2015, Matt Stutzman did it from a record 310 yards away. That’s almost as long as three football fields. Even more amazing? He has no arms. Known as the “Armless Archer,” he shoots the bow and arrow with his feet.

Stutzman got into archery in 2010 so he could help feed his family by hunting. But over time, the sport became about something much more.

“It was more about showing the world what people with physical disabilities can do,” he explains. “Just because we may look different doesn’t mean we can’t get the job done.” 

Stutzman won a silver medal at his first Paralympics, in 2012. This year will mark his fourth time competing. He hopes to inspire kids to be resilient. 

 “Never give up,” Stutzman says. “People will sometimes say, ‘This can’t be done,’ but there’s always a way.”

  1. How does Lex Gillette’s guide assist him during competitions?
  2. Describe two ways Lex Gillette and Matt Stutzman are alike and two ways they are different.
  3. In the section about Ixhelt González, what do the authors mean by the phrase “on the world stage”?
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