The roster for the United States have been set for the Parapan American Games Lima 2019, which will run from August 23 to September 1 in Peru.
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee finalized the U.S. roster, which is comprised of 159 men and 98 women, including six guides and pilots.
“I am honored to welcome this talented group of athletes to the U.S. roster for the Parapan American Games,” said USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland. “We are excited to cheer them on in Lima, and we look forward to supporting every member of Team USA as they pursue success both on and off the field of play.”
The Parapan American Games are held every four years and precede the Paralympic Games by one year. Team USA will be represented in 16 sports during the 11-day competition. The U.S. will compete in every sport on the Parapan American Games program, with the exception of 5-a-side soccer. New to the Parapan Am program this year are the sports of badminton, shooting and taekwondo.
The 2019 U.S. Parapan American squad of 257 athletes features 114 Paralympians, including 67 Paralympic medalists and 36 Paralympic champions. The men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball teams and the women’s sitting volleyball team enter Lima as the reigning Paralympic champions. Other top individuals to watch include: cycling’s four-time Paralympic medalist Joe Berenyi (Oswego, Illinois), three-time Paralympic champion Jeremy Campbell (Perryton, Texas) and two-time Paralympic champion Deja Young (Mesquite, Texas), both of track and field.
American athletes will be seeking Paralympic qualification in five sports. The men’s wheelchair rugby and sitting volleyball teams can punch their tickets to Tokyo with first-place finishes, while the men’s goalball team must finish first among teams who have yet to qualify. The men’s wheelchair basketball team can qualify with a top-three finish, while the women’s wheelchair basketball team can qualify with a top-two finish. In wheelchair tennis, singles winners will earn an individual slot to Tokyo.
Coverage of the 2019 U.S. Parapan American Team can be found at TeamUSA.org/Parapan2019 and on Team USA’s social channels featuring the hashtag #Lima2019.
