Source: REUTERS/IVAN ALVARADO
[Saba Sports News] Jayci Simon, a member of Team USA, is an optician and a badminton player. This summer, Simon will make her debut in Paralympic badminton as she heads to Paris for the Paralympics. She will be competing in women’s singles and mixed doubles with Miles Krajewski. Last fall, Simon and Krajewski won the gold medal in mixed doubles at the 2023 Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile, earning them crucial points to qualify for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. Despite some challenges during the preparation process, such as team withdrawals and a change in the competition format to a round-robin format, resulting in a reduction in qualifying points, they persevered and ultimately secured their spot in the Paralympics. They are now eagerly looking forward to training and competing in Paris. It has been reported that Simon suffers from a rare form of dwarfism called acromelic dysplasia. However, Simon did not let this stop her from participating in sports. She explored different sports and discovered para-badminton at the U.S. Dwarf Conference and World Dwarf Games, which she found to be a perfect fit for her. Currently ranked sixth in the world in singles, Simon is Team USA’s hopeful for a Paralympic gold medal. She believes there is still room for improvement and is determined to work hard to become the number one player in the world.