For some Paralympics participants, the path from injury to Para competition was quick

PARIS (AP) — Some Paralympians live with a disability their entire lives. Carson Clough is not one of those people.

Clough played lacrosse for North Carolina and knew nothing about the Paralympics until he was involved in a boating accident in 2019 that required amputation of his right leg below the knee.

He is an example of many of the more than 4,000 athletes at the Paralympics in Paris who developed a disability later in life or only learned about the Paralympics as adults. For them, disability sport has given their sporting careers a new direction and meaning.

In early 2022, with no prior experience in the sport, Clough was invited to apply to a talent ID camp hosted by USA Triathlon, where he met his current coach, Mark Sortino, a longtime assistant coach for the USA Paralympic Triathlon Team.

When he first started training, Clough admitted that getting into a completely new sport was a difficult process. And he made it even harder on himself because he thought he knew more than he actually did.

“It was: I think I know a lot about the sport, but I don't listen that much,” Clough said. “My coach, Mark Sortino, was obviously very experienced. He just let me fall into my own trap and learn.”

Monique Matthews’ Paralympic career began with a brochure.

Matthews grew up as a three-sport athlete, playing softball, basketball and track throughout high school. Her plans at the time revolved around whether to go to college and play softball or join the military.

While working a summer job at Circuit City, her plans were derailed when Matthews lost her left foot in a warehouse accident.

After the incident, Matthews took a two-year break from the sport because she didn't know what to do with her life until she accidentally discovered a way she might be able to compete again.

“After my amputation, I was looking for a new prosthetist. I was in Oklahoma City and they actually had a brochure for sitting volleyball with Scott Sabolich,” Matthews said. “I sent them an email and asked for a tryout because I had never heard of the Paralympics before.”

Not only did she make the team, she has now also won four Paralympic medals.

Once Clough became more familiar with the three aspects of triathlon, he was able to quickly put his months of training into practice.

In June 2022, he finished eighth at the World Triathlon Para Cup Besancon. This result prepared him for a series of World Triathlon races that would eventually lead him to finish first at the 2024 Americas Triathlon Para Championships in Miami in March, thus qualifying for the Paralympics.

After this first intense competition, Clough focused on working for Paris.

“For the last four months, I've just listened to everything (Sortino) says because he, my manager and all the coaches know what they're doing. I have no idea what I'm doing.”

The result? Clough won a medal in his first Paralympic race: silver in the PTS4 class for athletes with impaired coordination on one side or missing limbs.

While he is happy about this success, he is already looking ahead to future competitions, including the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles.

“You know, everyone says, 'It never gets easier, you just get faster.' But I'm going to prove them wrong,” he said. “I'm going to make it easier.”

Like Clough, Matthews sees a message in her stories.

“When you're injured, you often think you have to find a new path and you can't play sports anymore,” she says. “But then they see that and think, 'Wow, I can still improve as an athlete.'”

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Anna Licastro is a student at Penn State's John Curley Center for Sports Journalism.

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