#paralympians

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Team USA's Brenna Huckaby (Green) vs Amy Purdy (Red) face each other in 2018 Paralympic Snowboard Cross Finals.

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Paralympians 2021: Oksana Masters

Masters, 31, is a road cyclist and already a four-time Paralympian. Originally from Ukraine, Masters had both of her legs amputated after being born with birth defects are a result of her mother's exposure to radiation during the Chernobyl nuclear incident.

"I don't feel myself as a veteran yet — because it's different sports every time, it feels like the first time every time. It's really cool," the paralympian, who has competed in both the Summer and Winter Games for, respectively, rowing and cycling and then biathlon and skiing, previously told PEOPLE. "I want the U.S. Paralympic Team to be a force. It's really cool to be a physical example and have someone that somebody can relate to."

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@aimeemullins 🌸 #aimeemullins #running #sprinting #paralympic #paralympics #paralympian #paralympians #paralympicgames #paralympianathlete #love #biggestfan

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Paralympians 2021: David Brown

Brown, 28, is visually impaired and runs with guide Jerome Avery. The two-time Paralympian won a gold medal at the 2016 Games.

The athlete admits that he still gets nervous before events, previously telling PEOPLE, "The most difficult part of my journey as a Paralympian has been to overcome myself and my own nerves."

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US Paralympians: Jamal Hill

Hill just earned his spot on the U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Team in 2018. The athlete, who has a hereditary neurological condition called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, will be competing in his first Games. The swimmer founded Swim Up Hill, which provides resources to help teach swimming.

He told Team USA earlier this year that he was grateful for more training time thanks to the Games' COVID postponement. "To have an extra year, well I'm not upset about it at all," Hill said.

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Paralympians 2021: Steve Serio

The athlete, 33, is a member of the USA Men's National Wheelchair Basketball Team and a three-time Paralympian. As a baby, Serio was paralyzed after having surgery to remove a spinal tumor.

His first Games were in 2008, and in the subsequent Paralympics he won two medals.

Ahead of the Games, Serio told Forbes, "We think that Tokyo is going to be one of the most competitive events we've ever seen, because of how much the game of basketball has grown across the globe."

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US Paralympians: Roderick Townsend

Townsend, a jumper, competed in the Paralympics for the first time in Rio, winning medals in the high and long jump.

The 28-year-old athlete, who has arm disabilities, told Team USA in 2019 that "one of the amazing things about Paralympics is the diversity of the disabilities that we overcome and deal with."

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Shot by gang members, these Paralympians are making history

David Chávez and Jonathan Arias grew up in different parts of crime-ridden El Salvador in the 2010s, but they suffered the same brutal fate. At age 14, Arias was caught in the crossfire of a shootout between rival gangs, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Chávez was also 14 when he was shot and paralyzed during a robbery by gang members. El Salvador during this time offered few…

Shot by gang members, these Paralympians are making history