KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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Brad Hudspeth, a Johnson County, Kansas, Paralympian, brought home a silver medal from the 2024 Paralympic Games.
KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree checked in with him in July before he completed, hearing about his long journey to Paris.
“The goal was always to make Team USA, and then after making Team USA, the goal was to make the Paralympic team,” Hudspeth said previously.
KSHB 41
Brad Hudspeth
After years of work, Hudspeth finally made the national Paralympic wheelchair rugby team this summer.
He then traveled to Paris with his family, where he said his training schedule kept him busy but allowed him to enjoy the city with his wife and daughters.
“After each game, we got about 15 minutes to kind of head outside of the venue, get hugs from the family, celebrate the wins and kind of reset yourself to prepare for the next game the next day,” he said. “So having your family there was everything.”
Team USA was in the hunt for a third wheelchair rugby gold, which would have been the first since Beijing 2008. But the U.S. ended up taking home silver; Japan took home gold.
Mady Mertens/AP
From left, U.S. wheelchair rugby players Sarah Adam, Brad Hudspeth and Clayton Brackett cheer on their team from the sidelines as they beat Germany, 57-47, during the Paralympic Games in Paris, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Mady Mertens)
Hudspeth said every team was tough, so bringing home any medal is a huge accomplishment.
“Obviously, gold is the goal that we went in with, but, realistically, this was the most competitive tournament the world has probably ever seen, wheelchair rugby-wise,” Hudspeth said
He said the fierce competition and packed stands meant the world to the competitors.
Olivia Acree
Local Paralympian brings a medal back to Kansas City
“It’s definitely growing. Paris, they showed up,” Hudspeth said. “They sold a lot of tickets to the Paralympics. And the crowds were crazy and rowdy … [they got] you pumped up on the sidelines and ready to play.”
For now, Hudspeth will soak in the victory, but he will soon resume training to prepare for 2028 in Los Angeles.
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Publish date : 2024-09-08 05:27:00
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