Paralympians, Tried and True: Divided by Category, United in Purpose. Allow me to introduce....

"Even though I was born with a disability and some of my teammates had an accident or inherited their disability in the middle of their lives, we just adapt and conquer"                                                                     -Evan Austin, Paralympic swimmer (classifications S7, SB6, SM7)                                                             "S7, SB6, and SM7 are disability swimming classifications used to categorizing swimmers based on          their level of disability...."                                                                                                                            Events: 100 m freestyle; 400 m freestyle; 100 m breaststroke; 100 m butterfly; 200 m individual                medley                                                                                                                                                            Medals: Bronze, Tokyo "2020"; Gold World Championships, 2019; several more @ regional swims          Bio Highlights: Began swimming at age 11...has spastic paraplegia...took time away from swimming          after the 2012 London Games and returned in 2013...has served as assistant swim coach...                          Nickname: "EA Swim"

"2020 Tokyo Paralympics, August 24th - September 5th, 2021...22 sports, and hosted at 21 venues!" This year adding badminton and Taekwondo, replacing sailing and 7 on 7 football...Sounding familiar, at least in spirit, like that of the "2020 Tokyo Olympics" (except the latter offered umpteen more sports and venues). Much in common (including the same low number of spectators in the stands due to CV-19 restrictions). But then there are important, notable departures, such as in the classifications and categories. Classifications and categories that have continued to evolve, as a result of lots of discussion and debate within the IPC. As of this date, there are ten types of eligible impairments, divided into 3 distinct groups: a) physical impairments; b) vision impairments; and c) intellectual impairments. The traditional Olympics make no such distinctions, as long as you have passed the drug test(s) and placed in one of the few top spots at the Trials (while distinctions are evolving as I write this, due in part to transgender participation and associated hormone treatments). The Paralympians are further divided by classifications based on the degree of functional impairment (as opposed to the medical origin of the impairment as it was in the past): "...classification aims to minimize the impact of the impairment on the athletes' performance, so that sporting excellence determines which athlete or team is ultimately victorious..." Lots of divisions, criteria, distinctions. While we as distant spectators can easily get lost in the complexity of the system,  both the athletes and the officials are sufficiently conversant with all the letters and numbers. At least for now, as they are bound to change with further debates and evolution of technology (prostheses, etc.), the latter of which can put the athlete at a competitive advantage. 

Cross Training, Crossing Over: So, you think you've heard all about cross training in sports, as well as dual athletes, as well as those who have switched sports altogether due to a change in interest or a career ending injury...well let me introduce you to just a few individuals who will challenge your thinking, at least expand your own horizons, aspirations...

Meet (American) George Eyser who, long before Paralympics entered our Olympic lexicon, competed with a wooden leg at the 1904 Summer Olympics, winning 3 golds, 2 silver, and one bronze in gymnastics...several other amputees competed and won medals in the Games well before the Paralympics became formalized...

Meet (New Zealander) Neroli Fairhall, the first paraplegic in the Olympic Games...after competing in the 1980 Summer Paralympics, he won gold when archery was first introduced to the Commonwealth Games in 1982...

Meet (Hungarian) Pal Szekeres, the only athlete to have won a medal at the Olympics prior to becoming disabled (winning a bronze at the 1988 Summer Olympics), becoming disabled in a bus accident after which he went on to earn 3 golds  and 3 bronze medals in wheel chair fencing...

Meet (Ukrainian-American) Oksana Masters, Paralympic rower in summer and cross-country skier in winter...at the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games, she won the first ever U.S. medal in "trunk and arms mixed double sculls"...and now adding cycling to her resume...cross trainer extraordinaire...

Meet (British) Sarah Storey, first a dedicated swimmer, transitioning to the (modified) bike, winning multiple golds in both sports at the Paralympics, thereby becoming "...the country's most successful Paralympians..."

Meet (Canadian) Kate O'Brien, who competed as a cyclist at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, before she had a life-changing accident, after which she had a long road to recovery, which eventually led her to the Paralympics, winning a silver in the Tokyo Paralympic Games, the C4-5 500 meter time trial, on 8-27-21...

More to come, so many I haven't had the time or space to introduce to you...To borrow from Evan Austin (and a legion of inspirational Paralympic quotes), regardless of the nature and origin of their respective disability, these amazing athletes (some of which won medals, all of which won our admiration), have had to find ways to adapt and conquer. And you think you have had to adapt to the vicissitudes of the pandemic--well, think again, and watch, until September 5th in Tokyo, and beyond...