The 2024 Paris Paralympics begin today with the opening ceremony. There are always really inspiring stories to come out of the Paralympics. Here's the story of an athlete that has local Mid-Michigan ties.
When competition begins tomorrow (Thursday), keep an eye on St. Johns native and Lansing Community College student Jayci Simon who will compete in Para-badminton.
Simon has acromicric dysplasia (a form of dwarfism) and she will compete in the SH6 (Standing, short stature) classification of the Para-badminton event. Simon is in the SH6 Women's Singles tournament and SH6 Mixed Doubles tournament with her partner Miles Krajewski.
She trains with the MSU club badminton team playing with and against non-Para athletes because she doesn't have a regular coach or a facility to train at.
Here are some links if you want to learn more about Simon's story.
Feature story on Simon:
www.teamusa.com
Athlete bio:
www.paralympic.org
When competition begins tomorrow (Thursday), keep an eye on St. Johns native and Lansing Community College student Jayci Simon who will compete in Para-badminton.
Simon has acromicric dysplasia (a form of dwarfism) and she will compete in the SH6 (Standing, short stature) classification of the Para-badminton event. Simon is in the SH6 Women's Singles tournament and SH6 Mixed Doubles tournament with her partner Miles Krajewski.
She trains with the MSU club badminton team playing with and against non-Para athletes because she doesn't have a regular coach or a facility to train at.
Here are some links if you want to learn more about Simon's story.
Feature story on Simon:
Eye On The Prize: Team USA’s Jayci Simon Is An Optician By Day, And Now A Badminton Paralympian
Simon and partner Miles Krajewski are coming off a gold medal in mixed doubles at the 2023 Parapan American Games.
www.teamusa.com
Athlete bio:
Paris 2024
www.paralympic.org
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