ST. LOUIS — Nine athletes from the St. Louis area have qualified for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics in Paris as one billion people around the globe are expected to tune in and root for their home team.

The Olympic games are scheduled to start July 26 through Aug. 11 with some competitions starting July 24. Paralympic games are set for Aug. 28 through Sept. 8.

In May, St. Louis University assistant professor, Sarah Adam, made history as the first woman named to the U.S. Paralympic Wheel Chair Rugby Team.

“For me, it really means setting an example for future young girls that want to go compete in a sport that maybe is not typically considered for females or female-friendly,” she told Spectrum News. “If it’s something that you enjoy doing, go do it anyway.”

After winning the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games in November, the elite team earned a spot in the Paralympic Games Paris 2024.

Adam is one of 12 athletes who will represent Team USA at the Paralympic Games where six have competed in the Paralympics before and six are first-timers.

In addition to learning from her teammates on what to expect, she said there are some brilliant rugby minds on the team too, including head coach Joe Delagrave and team captains Chuck Aoki and Eric Newby from Godfrey, Ill.

Newby is a two-time Paralympian and two-time Paralympic silver gold medalist.

While the wheelchair rugby team is currently spread across the country, Adam said she is focused on her individual workouts and meeting with her teammates virtually, as well as once a month in person to practice on the court.  They have been drafting a game plan together that highlights each player’s unique qualities on the court.

During the Paris Games, the team will experience five games in five days.

“It’ll be a grind once we’re there, but (we’ll have) a couple of days to settle in and get used to the atmosphere,” Adam said.

They will play against Germany, Canada, and Japan, followed by a crossover match, ending with the gold medal match.

“I think we match up really well against the people in our pool right now. It’s probably the strongest bracket it’s ever been for wheelchair rugby,” Adam said. “Fantastic teams that we’re competing against, but we’re pretty confident in what we have as well to match with that.”

This will be Adam’s second time traveling to Paris with the wheelchair rugby team as they were there in October for a big competition.

“It was a phenomenal atmosphere there,” she said, noting an abundance of people and children who attended cheered them on. It was “probably one of my favorite atmospheres that I’ve played in so far.”

Adam and Newby are not the only ones from the St. Louis area heading to the Paralympics. St. Louis native Colleen Young will compete in women’s para-swimming. She is a three-time Paralympian and Paralympic medalist who has earned one silver and two bronze medals.

Napheesa Collier, from St. Charles, is set to play on the women’s basketball team. She is a one-time Olympic gold medalist who competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Some of Collier’s career highlights include the 2019 FIBA AmeriCup (gold), 2020 All-WNBA second team, 2020 WNBA All-Defensive second team, 2019 WNBA Rookie of the Year, 2019 WNBA All-Rookie Team and more.

St. Louis native, Jayson Tatum, also will compete in basketball on the men’s team. He is a one-time Olympic gold medalist who competed in the 2020 Tokoyo Olympics.  

Some of his career highlights include being named a 2019-20 All-NBA third team member and becoming the youngest player in Boston Celtics history to achieve that feat, five-time NBA All-Star from 2020-24, and more.

Freddie Crittenden III, from St. Louis, will compete in track and field.

Some of his career highlights include the men’s 110-meter hurdles at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, and world championships experience including finishing fourth in 2023 for the men’s 110-meter hurdles, among other experiences.

Another St. Louis native is Brandon Miller who also will compete in men’s track and field.

Tyler Downs is a Ballwin native who will compete in men’s diving. He is a one-time Olympian who competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where he placed 23rd in men’s three-meter springboard.

His world championships experience includes placing 29th in men’s three-meter springboard this year and placing fourth in men’s three-meter springboard synchro in 2023, among other experiences.

St. Charles native Patrick Schulte will play soccer on the men’s team.