PARIS (WCMH) — Two of the most dominant teams at the Paralympics are playing on behalf of the United States.
The U.S. women’s sitting volleyball team and the men’s wheelchair basketball team are both going for three-peats at the games this year, led by athletes known to all of Team USA.
Just last week, Nicky Nieves and Steve Serio had the honor of carrying the flag for Team USA into the opening ceremony. For both athletes, their goal is to make it home from Paris with a gold medal.
Nieves is no stranger to the big stage. She was born with just one hand, but that never slowed her down. The former collegiate volleyball player switch to sitting volleyball and her life changed forever. She started competing for Team USA in 2011, helping them win their first gold medal in sitting volleyball at Rio in 2016.
“It was where I found my community that made me more confident in who I am and related with people that had some of the same issues that I had and were also elite athletes as well,” Nieves said.
After COVID-19 and being forced to miss the Tokyo 2020 games, she’s ready for redemption.
For Serio, this will be his fifth appearance at the Paralympics, as well as his last. When he was just 11 months old, his spinal cord was compressed during a surgery to remove a spinal tumor. He got his start with wheelchair basketball as a high school sophomore, but now he’s a legend of the sport.
“It’s an honor to be a Team USA athlete and to participating in my 5th Paralympic Games,” Serio said. “It obviously comes with its share of failures but the thing I’m most proud of is no matter the success, no matter the failure, I keep coming back for more. And I’m excited to end my career in Paris.”