The Paralympic Games begin in Paris on Wednesday, August 28, and run through Sunday, September 8. The opening ceremony will start at 2 PM ET, bringing together more than 4,000 athletes on the grounds of the Champs-Élysées. Here are the DMV-area athletes set to compete at the Games.
Noah Hanssen, fencing
University of Maryland student Noah Hanssen actually started out in historical fencing, which focuses more on the art form and style that originates from European martial arts. Hanssen made the official switch to sport fencing in his junior year of high school and started training at the Tri-Weapon Fencing Club in Catonsville, MD. He studies public policy and also serves as UMD’s Fencing Club Vice President. Hanssen is one of six parafencers heading to Paris.
Trevon Jenifer, basketball
The 35-year-old athlete grew up in Huntingtown and started shooting hoops at the age of four with DC’s wheelchair basketball team, Air Capital. In 2010, Jenifer qualified for the USA Men’s National Wheelchair Basketball Team, and they went on to win bronze at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. He’s since gone on to win two gold medals, one in Rio 2016 and another in Tokyo 2020. This year, Jenifer’s back representing Team USA in Paris. On top of his athletic career, he also happens to have an equally cool day job: working for the Secret Service.
Nick Mayhugh, track and field
Paris 2024 will be track and field Paralympian Nick Mayhugh’s second time at the Games. From Manassas, Virginia, Mayhugh started out playing for soccer clubs around Northern Virginia. In 2019, he switched to track and field, wanting to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. He competed in the 100, 200, and 400-meter sprints and the 4 x100-meter relay, emerging with three gold medals and one silver. Oh, and he’s also the current world record holder of the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 4 x100-meter relay.
Lawrence Sapp, swimming
This year is also para swimmer Lawrence Sapp’s second time at the Paralympics. Sapp grew up in Waldorf and started competitive swimming when he was 11, training at Nation’s Capital Swim Club in Alexandria. Sapp has earned one gold and one silver medal from competing in the 2017 and 2019 Para Swimming World Championships. His achievements helped him qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics, where he placed fifth in the 100-meter butterfly. The 22-year-old now joins fellow Maryland para swimmers Jessica Long and Zach Shattuck in Paris.
Sydney Satchell, volleyball
Howard University alum Sydney Satchell was an NCAA Division 1 lacrosse player in college. After she graduated in 2014, a car accident left her as an amputee, and she turned to paralympic sports. According to Howard’s school newspaper, The Dig, Satchell was already a huge fan of the collegiate volleyball team, which inspired her to try sitting volleyball. Paris will be her first Paralympic Games, where the Women’s National Sitting Volleyball Team are hoping to become three-time gold medalists.
Calahan Young, goalball
The George Mason University grad got into goalball—a sport specifically designed for blind and visually-impaired athletes—in middle school. Tokyo 2020 was Young’s first Paralympic Games, where he was also named captain of USA’s National Goalball Team. For Paris 2024, he serves as captain once again, and hopes to lead the team to a medal, which they narrowly missed out on in Tokyo. Young earned a master’s degree in health administration, graduating from GMU in 2021.
