Arly Vel&aacute;squez is a Mexican Paralympian competiting in Para alpine skiing. Born in Canc&uacute;n, Mexico, he took up mountain biking as a teenager. At age 12, he was crowned junior champion and hailed as the next big star in the sport. However, a mountain bike accident in 2001 resulted in spinal cord injuries and eventually led Vel&aacute;squez to Para sport. He tried a plethora of sports, including athletics, basketball, swimming, tennis, and powerlifting, before finally finding Para alpine skiing in 2009. After a mere 14 months training on a Mono Ski, he qualified for Vancouver 2010, making him Mexico's second Winter Paralympian ever. Four years later, he carried his nation's flag at the Opening Ceremony of Sochi 2014 as the sole competitor from Mexico, a feat he repeated at PyeongChang 2018. Outside of skiing, Vel&aacute;squez set up his own production company to promote fellow athletes through collaborative content with prominent brands. Along with a mentor of his, he has also built his own skiing equipment using carbon fiber. Vel&aacute;squez is currently pursuing a degree in architecture with the goal of modernizing urban spaces to increase accessibility.

English

Arly Aristides Velásquez Peñaloza

Alice Tai is a British Paralympic swimmer competing in the S8 classification. Tai began swimming at age eight originally for physiotherapy reasons. She joined the Great Britain national team at age 15 and won a Gold, Silver, and Bronze at the 2014 European Championships the same year. Tai made her Paralympic debut at Rio 2016, winning a Gold (4x100m medley) and Bronze (100m back) medal. Tai was the most decorated swimmer at the 2019 World Championships in London with seven Gold medals while setting two world records and three championship records. At the 2019 Berlin World Series, she became the first S8 swimmer to finish under 29 seconds in the 50m freestyle. She currently holds six world records, including: 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 50m backstroke, 100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, and 50m butterfly. At the 2023 World Championships in Manchester, Tai continued her success and collected one Gold, one Silver and one Bronze medal. Outside of the pool, Tai was named a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2017 and was later named British Swimming's Athlete of the Year in 2019. In 2020, Tai joined the Commonwealth Games England Athlete Advisory Group ahead of Birmingham 2022, where she would win Gold just six months after her right leg was amputated. In the Fall of 2022, Tai was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Bournemouth University in recognition of her efforts inside and outside of Para sport. Most recently, she completed the "The Channel More Project," a swimming relay across the English Channel.

Alice Tai

Christy Gardner is a retired U.S. Army veteran from Maine and an alternate captain with the U.S. national women's Ice Sledge Hockey team. She was the alternate captain of the gold medal winning U.S. team at the 2018 Women's International Para Ice Hockey Cup. She was also a member of the victorious U.S. team at the first-ever IPC Ice Sledge Hockey Women's International Cup in 2014. A multi-sport athlete, Gardner is a world ranked Para thrower, competing in shot put and discus, and she even represented the U.S. at the 2020 Para Surfing World Championships. In 2023, Gardner placed first in her class for shot put and discus at the US Paralympic Track &amp; Field Championships. She is currently preparing to represent the U.S. in the World Para Ice Hockey's Women's World Challenge in Green Bay, Wisconsin. While serving as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army Military Police in Asia, Gardner survived an injury in 2006 which eventually led her to utilize a golden retriever service dog in 2010 and subsequently find a new passion for service animals. She is now the founder and president of Mission Working Dogs, which trains purpose-bred dogs to aid individuals with disabilities.

Christy Gardner

Madison de Rozario is an Australian Paralympic wheelchair racer competing in the T53/T54 classifications. De Rozario began wheelchair racing following encouragement from Australian Hall of Fame inductee Frank Ponta. At age 14, de Rozario was the youngest member of Team Australia in 2008, where she won Silver in the 4x1000m in Beijing. Four years later, she would compete again at London 2012 and brought home two Silver medals (800m; 4x400m) at Rio 2016. In 2018, de Rozario claimed two Gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and became the first Australian to win the London Marathon just days later. She then went on to win a Gold and two Silver medals at the 2019 World Championships. At Tokyo 2020, de Rozario captured two Gold medals and one Bronze. Following these outstanding performances, she went on to win Gold at the NYC Marathon in the fall of 2021. So far in 2023, de Rozario earned two Gold medals at the Australian Open Wheelchair Championships. After claiming Bronze in the Tokyo Marathon, she earned a Silver medal at the Boston Marathon before setting a new course record on her way to winning the London Marathon nearly a week later. Off the track, de Rozario was transformed into Barbie&rsquo;s 2020 &ldquo;Shero&rdquo; doll. She was named Sports Star of the Year in 2015 and 2016 by the Wheelchair Sports Western Australia Association and most recently earned Athlete of the Year honors at the Australian Women in Sport Awards.

Madison de Rozario

Maria Carolina Gomes Santiago is a Brazilian Paralympic swimmer competing in the S12 classification for visually impaired athletes. Santiago began swimming at age four but only discovered the world of Para swimming later in her life at age 27. In 2019, she made her international debut at the Sao Paulo World Series, where she broke three Americas records and set a new World Record in the 100m Breaststroke. Her breakthrough year continued as she netted four Gold medals at the Parapan American Games and four more medals at the World Championships in London. She was named Para Swimmer of the Year at the Paralympic Awards in Brazil for her achievements during that year. At Tokyo 2020, she captured five total medals, including three Gold medals in the 50m &amp; 100m Freestyle and 100m Breaststroke. Her performance earned her the distinct honor of being named Para Sportswoman of the Year in 2021 by the Brazilian Paralympic Committee. Santiago has successfully defended her Gold medal events at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, including a new World Record for the 50m Freestyle at the 2023 World Championships in Manchester.

Maria Carolina Gomes Santiago

Cindy Ouellet is a dual-sport Paralympic athlete from Canada. Ouellet was diagnosed with bone cancer at age 12, and despite 28 chemotherapy treatments and a complete reconstruction of the left side of her pelvis, sports continued to play a significant role in her life. She was introduced to Wheelchair Basketball by her physiotherapist and made her Paralympic debut in Beijing 2008. Ouellet has continued performing at the sport's highest level, most recently helping Canada to a fifth place finish at Tokyo 2020. In addition to Wheelchair Basketball, Ouellet took on Para-Nordic Skiing and soon enough secured her spot on the Canadian national team, making her Winter Paralympic debut at PyeongChang 2018. In 2023, Ouellet led the Canadian Wheelchair Basketball team to a fifth place finish at the 2022 World Championships in Dubai. Outside of her athletic achievements, Ouellet published an educational book on anti-bullying and holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering.

Cindy Ouellet

Alex Djitouo Saha Fotso is a Cameroonian Para table tennis player. He began his career at age 10 and currently plays for the Dewey Table Tennis Club. He was the National Paralympic School Games Champion in 2012 and 2013, and won the Kumbo Junior Table Tennis Grand Prix in 2012. Alex was a finalist at the National Olympic Games in 2014. In 2022, he participated in the Yaound&eacute; African Senior Table Tennis Championship and was the nation's first ever Paralympic Table Tennis Champion that same year. Most recently, Alex won Gold in the ITTF Para Open in Saudi Arabia, dropping only one set during the tournament. Today, Alex continues his training and hard work with the goal of representing Cameroon on the world's biggest stage. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Alex Djitouo Saha Fotso

Marta Fern&aacute;ndez Infante is a Spanish Paralympic swimmer competing in the S4, SB3, and SM4 classifications. Fern&aacute;ndez Infante began swimming at age three and began competitive Para swimming at age 17. She first began swimming as part of her rehabilitation, and later returned to the sport after becoming hooked on the feeling of competing. Fern&aacute;ndez Infante made her international debut at the 2020 World Para Swimming European Open Championships. She won one Gold medal and three Silver medals in her debut, while also breaking the world record in the 50m butterfly S4. Fern&aacute;ndez Infante made her Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020 where she won three medals. She was given the honor of being a flag bearer for Spain at the closing ceremony of those Tokyo. In 2021, Fern&aacute;ndez Infante locally received the Castile and Leon Sports Award in recognition of her performance in Tokyo. She also received the 2021 Sports Values Award at the La 8 Burgos Awards in Spain. At the 2022 World Championships in Madeira, Portugal, Fern&aacute;ndez Infante won two Gold medals, as well as a Bronze medal in the 4 x 50 mixed medley relay. Most recently, she captured four total medals, including two Gold, at the 2023 World Championships in Manchester, England.

Marta Fernández Infante

Lauren Steadman is a British Paralympic triathlete competing in the PTS5 classification. Steadman began her Paralympic career as a swimmer at Beijing 2008. Receiving encouragement from her uncle, Steadman first tried Paratriathlon in 2011 and committed to the sport after competing in swimming events at London 2012. Her decision to change sports resulted in her first career Paralympic medal at Rio 2016 where she won Silver in the PT4 class. Steadman&rsquo;s determination in Paratriathlon led her to win her first Gold medal in PTS5 at Tokyo 2020. She was presented with the 2019 Female Para Triathlete of the Year award by 220 Triathlon Magazine and named Female Para Triathlete of the Year in both 2014 and 2015 at the British Triathlon Awards. With her athletic success, Steadman was named a Member of the British Empire in 2021. She is currently competing in the World Triathlon Para Series, most recently winning Bronze at the World Triathlon Para Championships in Spain. Simultaneously, she is preparing to qualify for Para Nordic skiing, a new discipline for Steadman. Outside of her athletic career, Steadman also took part in multiple celebrity-focused television shows, including being a contender of Strictly Come Dancing and being awarded co-winner of Channel 4&rsquo;s 2020 Celebrity SAS.

Lauren Steadman

Alison Yu Chui-yee is a Paralympic wheelchair fencer from Hong Kong. Yu began her athletic career as a swimmer but switched to fencing at age 16 after a friend introduced her to the sport. In her Paralympic debut, Yu won four Gold medals at Athens 2004, becoming the first female to achieve this feat. She would continue on excelling at the sport's highest level, winning a total of seven Paralympic Gold medals (11 medals total), the most won by a Paralympian from Hong Kong. In addition to her medals, Yu was chosen to bear the Hong Kong flag at Rio 2016. In 2019, she won two Silver medals at the Cheongju-si World Championships in the Team Epee and Team Foil. Most recently, Yu won Gold in Women's Foil (A) at the United States IWAS World Cup. With her athletic success in 2018, Yu was named Asia's Best Female Athlete of the Year. Outside of wheelchair fencing, Yu is a radio show host, columnist, avid swimmer and runner, and founder of an academy of fencing.

Alison Yu

Manasi Joshi is an Indian Para badminton player, competing in the SL3 classification. Joshi started playing badminton at age six, practicing with her father and competing for her school at Atomic Energy Central. In 2011, a road accident caused her to lose her left leg. Determined to continue playing badminton, Joshi made her professional debut in 2014, competing in various national and international championships in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles events. In 2023, Joshi won Gold in Women's Singles at the India Para Badminton National Championships. Most recently, she won three medals at the four Nations Para Badminton International, including a Gold medal in Women's Doubles. Joshi was featured on the cover of TIME after being named a Next Generation Leader by the magazine in 2020. That same year, she was named BBC India&rsquo;s 2020 Sportswoman of the Year, had a Barbie Doll modelled after her to coincide with the 2020 International Day of the Girl Child, and was named one of Forbes India&rsquo;s Self-Made Women of 2020. In 2019, Joshi won the FICCI Special Recognition Para-Athlete of the Year award, ESPN India&rsquo;s Differently-abled Athlete of the Year, and the National award for empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.

Manasi Joshi

Ellen Keane is an Irish Paralympic swimmer competing in the S9 classification. Keane learned to swim at a young age with her three older siblings and started competing at age seven. At age 13, she was pulled up to the Irish national team in 2008 and made her Paralympic debut in Beijing, where she would become the country's youngest Paralympian ever. She then competed at London 2012 before reaching her first podium with a won Bronze medal (100m breaststroke SB8) at Rio 2016. Keane won a Bronze medal in the 100m breaststroke SB8 at the 2019 World Championships and won her first Paralympic Gold medal at Tokyo 2020 in the same event. Beyond her athletic career, Keane aspires to become a sports broadcaster in hopes of giving young athletes with disabilities someone in the media to relate to. In 2018, Keane was named Para Swimmer of the Year at the Swim Ireland Annual Awards. Keane also gave a Ted Talk entitled "My Lucky Fin", telling the story of how she learned to accept her own disability.

Ellen Keane

Veronica Yoko Plebani is an Italian Paralympian competing in the PTS2 classification of Paratriathlon. Plebani also began snowboarding at age 14 and was the first female from Italy to compete as a Paralympic snowboarder when she competed in the Sochi 2014 Winter Games. In addition to snowboarding, Plebani joined a Paracanoeing club near her home in 2012. She competed for Italy&rsquo;s Paracanoeing team at Rio 2016, becoming the first female Italian Paralympic canoer. Plebani currently uses her Paracanoe experience to cross train for Paratriathlon. Plebani placed fourth at the 2019 World Triathlon Grand Final, won Bronze at the 2019 European Championships, and won Silver at the Funchal World Cup. At Tokyo 2020, Plebani won her first Paralympic medal (Bronze) in the Paratriathlon. She continues to cross train in preparation for Paris, most recently earning a Silver medal in the PR2 Mixed Doubles Sculls at the 17th Gavirate International Para Rowing Regatta.

Veronica Yoko Plebani

Gustavo Sanchez is a Mexican Paralympic swimmer competing in the S4 classification. Sanchez began swimming at seven and made his international debut at the 2010 World Championships, where he won three Gold medals for Mexico. Sanchez made his Paralympic debut two years later at London 2012, winning two Gold, one Silver, and one Bronze medals while setting four Americas records in the process. After competing at Rio 2016, Sanchez continued swimming internationally, winning two Silver medals and a Bronze at the 2019 Indianapolis World Series, along with five Gold medals at the 2018 Barranquilla National Open. Most recently, Sanchez won three medals at the 2023 Minneapolis World Series. In addition to his many medals, Sanchez won the 2012 National Sport Award by the Mexican NPC, and the Luchador Olmeca Award from the Mexican Sports Confederation in 2009. Sanchez was also featured in a documentary, highlighting his life leading up to the London 2012 Games, shown at the 2014 Monterrey International Film Festival.

Gustavo Sanchez

Lenia Ruvalcaba is a Mexican Paralympic judoka competing in the 70kg weight class. Ruvalcaba competes in the B3 classification for vision impaired judokas. She took up jiu jitsu as a child but switched her focus to judo in 1998 after a friend recommended it to her. Ruvalcaba made her Paralympic debut during Beijing 2008 and took home a Silver medal. She competed at London 2012 and won Gold in Rio in 2016, making her the first female from Mexico to win a Gold medal in either the Olympics or Paralympics. In 2011, Ruvalcaba became the first Mexican judoka to qualify for both the Parapan American Games and the Pan American Games. She won Bronze in the 2018 World Championships and won Gold at both the 2019 IBSA Paralympic Qualifier and Parapan American Games. Most recently in Tokyo, Ruvalcaba earned a Bronze medal.

Lenia Ruvalcaba

Diede de Groot is a Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis player from the Netherlands. She was born with an unequal leg length, and after several hip surgeries, she does not use a wheelchair in her daily life. De Groot started playing tennis at seven years old, and quickly fell in love with the sport, training every day to improve her speed on the court. She started playing on the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Tour in 2009 as a junior player, before making her Paralympic debut at Rio 2016 where she won a Silver medal in doubles and narrowly missed out on a Bronze medal in singles. De Groot solidified her spot as the top ranked Wheelchair Tennis player internationally before returning to the Paralympic stage at Tokyo 2020, where she won two Gold medals, including her first career Paralympic Gold. By winning the 2021 US Open Singles Championship, de Groot became the first Wheelchair Tennis player, and second ever tennis player, to win a calendar year Golden Slam. De Groot has been recognized for her achievements with four straight Laureus Award nominations. Off the court, she is an ambassador for multiple foundations in the Netherlands, promoting sports and hosting Wheelchair Tennis clinics for people with disabilities.

Diede de Groot

Natalia Partyka is a Polish Paralympic table tennis player, competing in the Class 10 classification. Partyka joined Para table tennis at seven years old, following her older sister's and parents' encouragement. At age 11, she made her Paralympic debut at Sydney 2000 as the youngest person to compete at the Paralympic Games. Partyka is unbeaten in Para table tennis since Athens 2004. In Beijing 2008, she became one of the first two people to compete at both an Olympic and Paralympic Games in the same year, which she continued to do in London 2012 and Rio 2016. Following Rio 2016, Partyka became the first Para table tennis player to win Gold at four consecutive Paralympic Games. She continues to compete internationally and most recently won a Bronze medal at the ITTF Lignano Masters in Italy. With her athletic success, Partyka was named the 2016 Para Athlete of the Year in Poland. She was named the 2015 Sportsperson with an Impairment of the Year and the 2011 Para Athlete of the Year in Poland. In 2008, Partyka received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Rebirth of Poland and received the Officer's Cross of the Order of Rebirth of Poland in 2013. In 2015, Partyka created the Natalia Partyka Foundation to support young Polish athletes.

Natalia Partyka

Yip Pin Xiu is a Singaporean Paralympic swimmer competing in the S2 classification. Yip started swimming at age of five and became Singapore&rsquo;s first ever Paralympic Gold medalist at Beijing 2008. She competed in the following two Paralympic Games, winning Gold medals and setting world records at Rio 2016. Yip continued to compete internationally, winning two Gold medals at the 2019 World Championships. Yip won two Gold medals during Tokyo 2020 in the 50m and 100m backstroke. A model for consistency, Yip continued exceling in her signature Backstroke events at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, where she earned two Gold medals in each. With her athletic success, Yip received the inaugural President's Award for Inspiring Achievement in 2022 from the president of Singapore. She received the Emerging Leadership award at the 2022 International Women's Day Recognition Awards presented by the IPC, and in 2019 was named Singapore Disability Sports Council&rsquo;s Sportswoman of the Year. Yip was inducted into the Singapore Women&rsquo;s Hall of Fame in 2014, and became the first Para athlete to be inducted into Singapore&rsquo;s Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. Beyond competitive swimming, Yip has upheld a variety of roles, including acting as a Nominated Member of Parliament in Singapore between 2018 and 2020 and being a member of The World Anti-Doping Agency. She has served as chairman of the Singapore Para Athlete Commission, and as vice-chairperson on the working committee of The Purple Parade, a movement that promotes inclusion of people with impairments in Singapore.

Yip Pin Xiu

Brad Snyder is a Paralympic swimmer and Paratriathlete competing in the S11, SB11, SM11 classifications for swimming and PT5 for Paratriathlon. Snyder swam for his high school and at the U.S. Naval Academy where he captained the swim team in 2005-06. Snyder was a lieutenant in the Navy and served as an explosive ordinance officer. In September 2011, he lost his eyesight after stepping on an IED en route to help victims of a bombing. Snyder continued to swim competitively, making his Paralympic debut at London 2012 where he won a Silver and two Gold medals, a year after his injury. At the London 2012 Closing Ceremony, Snyder was selected by the USOC to serve as the flag bearer. He took home three Gold medals at the 2015 World Championships before continuing his Paralympic success at Rio 2016. In Rio, Snyder won a Silver, three Gold medals, and set a world record in the 100m freestyle S11. Snyder now focuses on Paratriathlon, winning Bronze at the 2019 ITU Paratriathlon World Cup and competing at the 2019 World Triathlon Grand Final. At Tokyo 2020, Snyder won a Gold medal in the first ever men&rsquo;s triathlon race for his class (PVTI). Outside of the pool, Snyder sits on the USOPC&rsquo;s Board of Directors among other athlete representatives. In 2022, Snyder won the ESPY Award for "Best Male Athlete with a Disability." He is the co-author of his book, "Fire In My Eyes", and is involved with The COMMIT Foundation as their first award recipient. Snyder is also currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Policy at Princeton University.

Brad Snyder

Nicky Nieves is a middle blocker for the USA sitting volleyball team, competing in the D class. Nieves began playing able-bodied volleyball in 2002 with the Life Academy Lions. She studied and played able-bodied volleyball at Queens College, where she was approached by USA Volleyball to join the national sitting volleyball team. In 2011, she won Gold at the Parapan American Games. Nieves made her Paralympic debut during Rio 2016, where she helped win the team&rsquo;s first Paralympic Gold medal. She continued her success at the 2019 Parapan American Games, taking home another Gold medal in Peru. She is currently preparing to earn a second consecutive Gold medal at the 2023 Parapan American Games in Chile and secure a spot for Paris 2024. In 2021, Nieves was elected to USA Volleyball&rsquo;s Board of Directors, becoming the first female and first Afro-Latina named to the board. In 2018, Nieves founded Limitless People Inc., a non-profit dedicated to spreading the opportunity to play and learn the sport of volleyball across the world. Nieves also volunteers at Nuability Athletics, a camp teaching sports to children ages five to 18 with physical disabilities. She is a member of the Dick&rsquo;s Contenders Program and won the 2010 John Smillie Award by the East Coast Conference.

Nicky Nieves

Trevon Jenifer is a Paralympic wheelchair basketball player competing in the 2.5 classification. Active in sports since a young age, Jenifer was a top wrestler and successful track athlete in high school. After high school, he went to Edinboro University where he was a three-year captain of the wheelchair basketball team and became a two-time All-American. Jenifer won Bronze with Team USA in his Paralympic debut during London 2012, before he and the team claimed Gold over Spain in Rio 2016. Between the London and Rio, Jenifer played overseas from 2013-2015 with Le Cannet in France. After Rio, Jenifer took a year off from competition before returning to Team USA for the 2018 World Championships where he helped the team win Silver. He led USA to Gold at the 2019 Parapan American Games, helping to secure a spot in Tokyo 2020. In Tokyo, Jenifer and his teammates defended their victory in 2016 and captured a second consecutive Gold medal over host country Japan. He continued training after the Games and most recently won the 2022 World Championships in Dubai over rival Great Britain. Jenifer now plays for the NRH Punishers Wheelchair Basketball team in Washington DC, competing in the NWBA. Jenifer is also the author of his autobiography titled "From the Ground Up."

Trevon Jenifer

Husnah Kukundakwe is a Uganda Paralympic swimmer competing in the S8 classification. Born in Kampala, Uganda, Kukundakwe began swimming at the age of five and now serves as the country's only active Paralympic swimmer. After making her international debut at the Singapore World Series in 2019, Kukundakwe made her Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020, where she was the youngest competitor overall. In 2022, she won Uganda's first ever international Para Swimming medals at the Lignano Sabbiadoro World Series. Later that year, she represented Uganda at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Konya, Turkey and brought home six total medals. Most recently, Kukundakwe competed in the 100m butterfly, 100m breaststroke SB8 and 200m individual medley at the 2023 World Championships in Manchester. Away from the pool, Kukundakwe is an ambassador for nonprofit sporting alliance "United Through Sports."

Husnah Kukundakwe

Ntando Mahlangu is a South African sprinter competing in the T61/F61 classification. Mahlangu received his first set of blades through the South African charity &lsquo;Jumping Kids&rsquo;, and joined Para athletics in 2015. At the 2015 IWAS World Junior Games, he won the 200m T42 and 400m T42 and was awarded the &lsquo;Athlete with International Potential&rsquo; award. One of the youngest competitors at Rio 2016, Mahlangu won Silver in the 200m T42 and set a new African record in the 100m T42. He then won Silver in the 200m T42 at the 2019 World Championships in Dubai and set three world records at the 2019 SASAPD National Championships. Mahlangu captured two Gold medals in both of his signature events at Tokyo 2020 while breaking a World Record in his long jump for his T63 classification. Off the track, Mahlangu received the 2019 SA Sportsman of the Year with a disability, 2018 SA Sportsman of the Year with a Disability, 2016 SA Newcomer of the Year, and 2016 LSEN Male Athlete of the Year. In August 2020, he was featured in the Netflix documentary &rdquo;Rising Phoenix.&rdquo; In addition to athletics, Mahlangu will begin studying Business Management at Loughborough University in London in October of 2023.

Ntando Mahlangu

Sara Mohamed Aljneibi is a Paralympic shot put thrower competing in the F33 classification. Aljneibi made her Paralympic debut in the Rio 2016 Games, winning Bronze in the shot put event. With this Bronze, she became the first-ever female UAE Paralympic medalist. Aljneibi won bronze at the 2018 Asian Para Games, followed by a seventh place finish in Tokyo 2020. She continues to compete internationally, recently winning Silver and Bronze in Shot Put and Javelin, respectively, at the World Para Athletics Marrakech Grand Prix. In addition to her athletic career, Mohamed Aljneibi is a strong advocate for the empowerment of girls in UAE, pointing out that they &ldquo;can achieve and accomplish anything if they have strong support.&rdquo; In 2014, she began documenting her journey, which was eventually shared in an autobiography called فارسة الإرادة (&ldquo;The Knight of Will&rdquo;), showcasing her story from the beginning of her disability through completing her education and becoming a world-class athlete representing the UAE.

Sara Mohamed Aljneibi

Scout Bassett is a USA Paralympic sprinter competing in the T63/F63 classification. Born in China, Bassett was adopted by an American couple at the age of seven. Still learning English, she joined athletics to help connect with her peers. Through the support of the Challenged Athlete Foundation (CAF), Bassett began her Para athletic career with paratriathlon events. In her first international competition, Bassett won two Silver and one Bronze medal at the 2011 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships. She switched her focus toward sprinting events and made her Paralympic debut during Rio 2016, competing in the 100m T42 and Long Jump F42. Bassett continued training in both disciplines and took home the Gold medal (Long Jump F63) at the 2019 Parapan American Games. An active advocate of the Paralympic Movement, Bassett actively teaches and participates in mobility clinics and inclusive workouts. She also recently created one of the diverse variations of the LA2028 logo. Academically, Bassett was a presidential academic scholarship receiver, allowing her to pursue a degree in Sociology from UCLA.

Scout Bassett

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Citi is proud to be the founding partner of PARA SPORT, the International Paralympic Committee's new grassroots-to-high-performance program that aims to change the narrative around people with disabilities and provide Para athletes and their member organizations with a platform to drive societal progress. What Happened? At Citi, we gave Paralympic Athletes a voice. We asked them how they want the world to see them. And a powerful insight was born ... It's OK to stare at greatness if curiosity is the driving force. It's OK to start conversations if we work together to change perceptions and build a more inclusive world. That's what happened.

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