Sports

These 9 Paralympic athletes are from North Carolina. Here’s how to watch them compete

Hannah Aspden, a Raleigh native and graduate of Queens University in Charlotte, won gold in the 100-meter women’s backstroke S9 competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
Hannah Aspden, a Raleigh native and graduate of Queens University in Charlotte, won gold in the 100-meter women’s backstroke S9 competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Following the end of the 2024 Olympics earlier this month, Paris will now host the Paralympics Games, which begin on Aug. 28.

Team USA will send 225 athletes from 39 states to the 2024 Paralympic Games.

Nine have North Carolina hometowns. Learn more about each athlete and where they call home.

Carson Clough trains for the Paralympics triathlon at Alexander Graham Middle School in Charlotte, N.C., on Saturday, July 6, 2024.
Carson Clough trains for the Paralympics triathlon at Alexander Graham Middle School in Charlotte, N.C., on Saturday, July 6, 2024. Khadejeh Nikouyeh Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com

Paralympic athletes from North Carolina

These nine Paralympians on Team USA have North Carolina hometowns:

  1. Hannah Aspden (para swimming) is from Raleigh.
  2. Carson Clough (paratriathlon) is from Charlotte.
  3. Heather Erickson (sitting volleyball) is from Fayetteville.
  4. Desmond Jackson (para track and field) is from Durham.
  5. Maria Liana Mutia (para judo) is from Raleigh.
  6. Emma Schieck (sitting volleyball) is from Statesville.
  7. Morgan Stickney (para swimming) is from Cary.
  8. Conner Stroud (wheelchair tennis) is from Rutherfordton.
  9. Evan Wilkerson (para swimming) is from Wake Forest.

U.S. Paralympian Desmond Jackson poses for a portrait in Durham, NC on June 7, 2019.
U.S. Paralympian Desmond Jackson poses for a portrait in Durham, NC on June 7, 2019. Bryan Cereijo bcereijo@newsobserver.com

Learn more about each athlete at teamusa.com/paris-2024/paralympics.

Check out this map for more information on the Paralympic athletes. Click on a dot to learn about the previous Paralympic games they’ve competed in and medals won.

Minnesota is home to the most Paralympians per 1 million people in the state. Washington, Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa follow closely behind.

What are the Paralympics?

The Paralympics, an international competition for athletes with disabilities, are usually located in the same city as the Olympic Games. The Games, which take place every two years, first started in 1960.

The games will last until Sept. 8. Like the Olympic medals, the medals for the Paralympics are made with a piece of iron from the Eiffel Tower. The Paralympic medals also include engravings and Braille.

Hannah Aspden, a Raleigh native and graduate of Queens University in Charlotte, won gold in the 100-meter women’s backstroke S9 competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
Hannah Aspden, a Raleigh native and graduate of Queens University in Charlotte, won gold in the 100-meter women’s backstroke S9 competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

The Paralympics will include 22 sports: athletics, archery, badminton, blind football, boccia, canoe, cycling, equestrian, goalball, judo, powerlifting, rowing, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.

Team USA has won the most medals of any country in the Paralympics since the games began.

How to watch the Paralympics

Viewers can follow the games on the Paralympics YouTube channel, on the International Paralympic Committee website, on NBC or with Peacock.

Find the schedule of events at olympics.com.

The News & Observer’s assistant sports editor Steve Wiseman contributed to this story.

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