Olympic Training Center hosts send-off for Paralympians
It was a grand celebration to send off athletes for September’s Paralympic Games Wednesday night.
Fans will met the athletes who spent years at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs who signed autographs and talked about their preparations for the Games.
“It’s very motivating,” said Rudy Garcia-Tolson, a swimmer competing in the games in Rio de Janeiro. “My whole life I was always told you’d ‘never do something’ My doctors told me I would never walk, never run.”
He’s proved them wrong. Next month’s games will be his fourth Paralympic Games. Due to a congenital birth defect, doctors cut off his legs at the age of 5 after he was never able to use them. He didn’t let a setback stop him, and uses swimming for peace of mind.
“I didn’t have to use my legs. I could take my legs off and just be free,” he said.
Every Paralympic athlete there has a similar story.
“I was born with amyoplasia arthrogryposis. It’s the loss of muscle and contraction of joints at birth. Birth is the worst it will be and I will only get better from here,” said McKenna Dahl, who will compete in rifle shooting. “It’s so mental, we really have to control our thoughts to control our bodies.”
Athletes will leave for Rio throughout the next two weeks for the games.
