What You Missed During The 2016 Paralympic Games | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Sports

What You Missed During The 2016 Paralympic Games

"I don't care how many legs you have — one, two, four, six — I'll still beat you! " — Richard Browne, United States

9
What You Missed During The 2016 Paralympic Games
olympics.nbcsports.com

This past summer the world was sitting on their couches in a trance as they watched their favorite athletes effortlessly display their talents. Achievements of US athletes were displayed on all forms of media with the medal count constantly discussed. Most know that following the closing of the games, begins the start of the Paralympic Games, but the only coverage we seem to get are the few videos that are trending on Facebook. So to honor the talents of the athletes who donned the stars and stripes and brought home 115 medals, here are some recaps of the fifteenth summer Paralympic Games:

The U.S. men’s wheelchair basketball team won its first gold medal since the 1988 Paralympic games in Seoul. The co-captain of the team, Steve Serio scored over 40 points, and had over 30 assists over the last three games, pulling his team to victory. He has been playing in a wheelchair for more than half of his life.

Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky may have gotten all of the fame in the pool, and rightfully so, but someone who deserves to share the spotlight is Brad Snyder. Also a Maryland native, Snyder has accumulated seven medals and won three gold medals and a silver one during these games. Previously the captain of the US Naval Academy swim team, Snyder broke the record for the S11 100-meter freestyle with a time 56.15 seconds.

Not too many days ago, the U.S. women’s volleyball team brought home the first-ever sitting volleyball gold, when they defeated China. The team had been on an upward stride over the past games, with a bronze in the 2004 games, followed by silvers in the 2008 and 2012 games, and finally they realized the gold in the 2016 games.

It seems as though if you want to become a star swimming athlete, Maryland is the state to come from! Becca Meyers, a Baltimore native, set three world records in the aquatic center in Rio. Medaling in all of her events, she came home with three gold medals and a silver.

At 18 years old, Grace Norman snatched the gold medal in the women’s PT4 triathlon, with a shocking time of being over a minute ahead of second place. Not only was she the winner of the first women’s paratriatholon in the history of the Paralympic games, but she also came home with another medal in the T44 400-meter.

The United States had a full sweep in all three medals three times during these games — in swimming as well as track and field. As a team, the US shattered eight world records, and these games were the first time that military veteran athletes were also making their mark. With a total of 40 gold medals, 44 silver medals, and 31 bronze, for a total of 115 medals. Without a doubt, our country is very proud of all of the Olympians, both in the fifteenth Paralympics and of the XXXI Olympiad, and vicariously live through them as they shine on the largest stage of the world.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

531
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

457
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

1146
group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

The Great Christmas Movie Debate

"A Christmas Story" is the star on top of the tree.

2408
The Great Christmas Movie Debate
Mental Floss

One staple of the Christmas season is sitting around the television watching a Christmas movie with family and friends. But of the seemingly hundreds of movies, which one is the star on the tree? Some share stories of Santa to children ("Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"), others want to spread the Christmas joy to adults ("It's a Wonderful Life"), and a select few are made to get laughs ("Elf"). All good movies, but merely ornaments on the Christmas tree of the best movies. What tops the tree is a movie that bridges the gap between these three movies, and makes it a great watch for anyone who chooses to watch it. Enter the timeless Christmas classic, "A Christmas Story." Created in 1983, this movie holds the tradition of capturing both young and old eyes for 24 straight hours on its Christmas Day marathon. It gets the most coverage out of all holiday movies, but the sheer amount of times it's on television does not make it the greatest. Why is it,
then? A Christmas Story does not try to tell the tale of a Christmas miracle or use Christmas magic to move the story. What it does do though is tell the real story of Christmas. It is relatable and brings out the unmatched excitement of children on Christmas in everyone who watches. Every one becomes a child again when they watch "A Christmas Story."

Keep Reading...Show less
student thinking about finals in library
StableDiffusion

As this semester wraps up, students can’t help but be stressed about finals. After all, our GPAs depends on these grades! What student isn’t worrying about their finals right now? It’s “goodbye social life, hello library” time from now until the end of finals week.

1. Finals are weeks away, I’m sure I’ll be ready for them when they come.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments