By YO! Staff & YO! Volunteer Amanda Ciuric
We’re rooting for all of Team USA, but we have a special place for the Californians! We are celebrating Black Heritage Month by highlighting 3 of the fastest Paralympic athletes with fast facts!
Breanna Clark
- Age: 26
- Hometown: Los Angeles, California
- Sport: Track and Field
- Breanna won gold in the 400-meter T20 at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games — her first Paralympics!
- Olympic athletic skill runs in Breanna’s genes! Her mother, Rosalyn Bryant, was also a track athlete and won a silver medal in the 1976 Olympic Games.
- Breanna was diagnosed with autism at age four.
- She’s multi-talented! Breanna is also one of the lead singers in her church choir and she sang in her high school and community college choir.
Kym Crosby
- Age: 27
- Hometown: Yuba City, California
- Sport: Track and Field
- Kym won bronze in the 100M T13 at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games — and has six other medals from International competitions (2 silver, 4 bronze)!
- Kym was born with Albinism, a condition that leaves her without pigment in her skin, hair or eyes. She is legally blind with 20/400 vision.
- Kym is proudly half Jamaican.
- Started Track & Field after her brother suggested she join after seeing her run a mile.
- Competed on the Chico State Track and Field for three years.
Jamal Hill
- Age: 24 (soon to be 25 on Feb. 24!)
- Hometown: Inglewood, California
- Sport: Swimming
- Jamal is ranked #1 in the US Paralympic 100 Free and number 22 in the world!
- He became paralyzed after catching the flu as a young boy.
At only 10 years old, Jamal was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) – an inherited condition of the nervous system that can result in loss of muscle tissue and touch sensation in the body.
(He calls his journey, “From paralysis to Paralympic Champion.”) - Jamal developed a love for swimming through a local YMCA “Mommy & Me” swim class.
- His brand, ‘Swim Up Hill’ has a mission to teach one million people to swim, and to “inspire millions more through community impact and tech integration”.
- Jamal’s other interests include being a swim coach, picnics, audio books, and surfing.
