Everybody has heard of Lebron James but what about the equally as skilled  Patrick Anderson a paralympic basketball star considered one of the best wheelchair basketball players. More than 32 million people from all over the world tuned in to watch the opening to the Paris 2024 olympics.  But what about the paralympics which is often overshadowed by the olympics? An event not as acknowledged  as the olympics  how many people are watching the paralympics as 22 million people tuned in to watch the opening ceremony for the paralympics. Why should you even watch the Paralympics?

The Paralympics works similarly to the Olympics, but with a couple of major differences. Most obviously, paralympians must have a disability to compete. In order to level the playing field between athletes, paralympians are classified into different groups ranging from a group with visual impairments, to limb deficiency, to intellectual impairment. Events in the Paralympics are variations of events from the Olympics, with events such as swimming, wheelchair soccer, and unique sports like boccia and goalball. The paralympians are astonishing at breaking barriers for what people think they can do.

Now that the Paralympics have finished, here are some highlights that we think you should check out:

Karimi, a refugee from Afghanistan who was born without arms, qualified for the U.S. swim squad for the Paris 2024 paralympics. Karimi uses only a strong kick to finish races, helping his relay team win silver.

The men’s U.S. wheelchair basketball team won gold for the third Paralympics in a row, beating out Great Britain under the lead of wheelchair basketball powerhouse Steve Serio. 

Matt Stutzman became the first armless archer to win a Paralympic gold medal, shooting with only his chin and foot in the men’s individual compound open. Oksana Masters, became a repeated champion in both of her individual Para-cycling road race events, bringing her career medal total to 19 in four different sports across both Winter and Summer games. She has medaled previously in rowing, cross-country skiing, biathlon, and cycling.

Overall, more than 40 world records were broken at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, inspiring all of us with the determination and skills of these paralympians. Make sure to go check out these players and events to see the amazing things they are doing.