Disclaimer: This is sponsored content. All opinions and views are of Colorado Springs Orthopaedic Group and does not reflect the same of KOAA.
We're less than one year out from the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games which means organizers and athletes have kicked their preparations up a notch.
Utah native and Paralympian Shelby Jensen is hoping to make her second trip to the major event.
Shelby suffered a stroke when she was just 7 years old, which was caused by a brain aneurysm and the surgery left her paralyzed on her right side.
Soon after recovery, Shelby's parents put her into adaptive sports. She credits them for never letting her disabilities define her. While volunteering for a Wheelchair Sports Camp, Shelby said she fell in love with Wheelchair Fencing.
That love eventually led her to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, competing for Team USA.
"We walked through the tunnel and everybody on the team was chanting 'USA'," Shelby reminisced. "That felt so special to me knowing I was surrounded by so many people that were in the same boat as me."
Shelby now lives in Colorado Springs and works at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum on the guest experience team. She said it's daily motivation to get back to the world competition in 2024.
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