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Milton Quintanilla
Crosswalk Headlines Contributor -
Updated
Aug 30, 2024
A number of Christian athletes will compete in this year’s Paralympics, which will be held from August 28 to September 8 in Paris, France.
According to Christianity Today, roughly 4,400 Para athletes will aim for gold at the summer games. Here are 6 Christian athletes you should look out for.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Glenn Gervot/Stringer
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1. Andreza Vitória de Oliveira, Brazil
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23-year-old Andreza Vitória de Oliveira from Brazil will make her second appearance at the Paralympic Games, following her first one in Tokyo in 2020. Last year, she won gold at the Parapan-American Games. She began playing boccia at 14 after her mother introduced her to the sport, and she has since become a world champion.
“I’m going to do everything that I can do with a lot of dedication so that, God willing, everything goes well and I come back with a Paralympic medal,” she said.
When Oliveira was just two years old, she was diagnosed with Leigh syndrome, a neurodegenerative condition that affects the central nervous system and makes walking difficult. She later started using a wheelchair when she was 11.
“When you find happiness in doing something you love, every moment becomes a blessing, and every effort turns into an inexhaustible source of fulfillment and gratitude,” she shared on Instagram in April.
Photo Credit: ©Instagram/andrezavitoriabc1
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2. Trenten Merrill, USA
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Trenten Merrill, 34, who currently holds the American record in the long jump for his classification, will compete in this year’s Paralympic games. Last year, he finished fourth in the long jump at the Paris World Championship off the podium by just a centimeter and merely four centimeters away from winning silver.
“Work wholeheartedly as if working for the Lord and not for man,” he shared on Instagram, quoting Colossians 3:23 and Proverbs 3:5–6, “Trust in the Lord with all thy heart; lean not unto thy own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”
Merrill, who lost his leg after a car hit him while riding a dirt bike, previously participated in multiple track and field events before moving forward with the long jump. He has also competed in Rio and Tokyo.
“God First 🙏🏼 Watch me compete at the Paralympics Sept 4th, 8:35 pm (local time) T64 Long Jump,” he wrote in his Instagram bio.
Photo Credit: ©Instagram/tr3n10
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3. Jamie Whitmore-Meinz, USA
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Jamie Whitmore-Meinz, 48, will take on the Paracycling completion on Sept. 4 as part of Team USA. In 2008, doctors amputated her left leg after she was diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma. A short time later, she learned that she was pregnant with twins.
