Regas Woods headed down the runway for his first attempt at the long jump as fast as he could on his two prosthetic legs. As he hit the board for his jump, one of the carbon fiber blades broke, sending him cartwheeling into the sand pit. After volunteers helped him get to the side, he was faced with a challenge, replace the broken blade or miss a chance at making his long jumps.
In this Friday, July 1, 2016 photo, a runner warms up before his heat in the men’s 100-meter dash during the U.S. Paralympics Team Trials in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
“This is my dream and I gotta do it,” Woods said.
Woods, 35, of Dunnellon, Fla., is one of over 400 athletes with disabilities competing for a spot on the U.S. Paralympics Team for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio in September. The Team Trials for Swimming, Track & Field, and Cycling are being competed in Charlotte, N.C. After the competition, the team will be announced. Woods lost his legs when he was 2 1/2 due to a “congenital issue” but it has never slowed him down.
“It’s all about overcoming adversity”, he said. “You’ve got to make the best of it.”
In this Saturday, July 2, 2016 photo, Allison Jones pedals down a hill during the cycling time trials in the U.S. Paralympics Team Trials in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, July 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
In this Saturday, July 2, 2016 photo, Stephen Peace straightens his helmet as he waits at the start of the cycling time trials in the U.S. Paralympics Team Trials in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
In this Friday, July 1, 2016 photo, Lauren Gates competes in the women’s discus throw during the U.S. Paralympics Team Trials in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
In this Friday, July 1, 2016 photo, Brian Seimann races during a men’s 100-meter dash final during the U.S. Paralympics Team Trials in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
In this Friday, July 1, 2016 photo, women compete in a 100-meter dash final during the U.S. Paralympics Team Trials in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
In this Friday, July 1, 2016 photo, Jim Cuevas warms up for his heat in the men’s 100-meter dash during the U.S. Paralympics Team Trials in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
In this Thursday, June 30, 2016 photo, Bryce Ballinger moves along the pool deck during warm-ups in the U.S. Paralympics team trials in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
In this Thursday, June 30, 2016 photo, a woman uses a “bumper” to alert swimmer McClain Hermes she is about to approach the wall for her turn in the women’s 400- meter free event during the U.S. Paralympics Team Trials in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
In this Thursday, June 30, 2016, Jessica Long starts her heat in the women’s 400-meter free event during the U.S. Paralympics Team Trials in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
In this Friday, July 1, 2016 photo, Eric Johnson competes in the men’s long jump during the U.S. Paralympics Team Trials in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
In this Friday, July 1, 2016 photo, Kionte Storey practices his starts before his heat in the men’s 100-meter dash during the U.S. Paralympics Team Trials in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
In this July 1, 2016 photo, runners, from left, Michael Asefa, Desmond Jackson, Shaquille Vance, Regas Woods and Trevor Wallace compete in a men’s 100-meter dash final race during the U.S. Paralympics Team Trials in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Spotlight is the blog of AP Images, the world’s largest collection of historical and contemporary photos. AP Images provides instant access to AP’s iconic photos and adds new content every minute of every day from every corner of the world, making it an essential source of photos and graphics for professional image buyers and commercial customers. Whether your needs are for editorial, commercial, or personal use, AP Images has the content and the expert sales team to fulfill your image requirements. Visitapimages.comto learn more.
Written content on this site is not created by the editorial department of AP, unless otherwise noted.
AP Images is the world’s largest collection of historical andcontemporary photos. AP Images provides instant access to AP's iconic photos and adds new content every minute of every day from every corner of the world, making it an essential source of photos and graphics for professional imagebuyers and commercial customers. Whether your needs are for editorial, commercial, or personal use, AP Images has the content and the expert sales team to fulfill your image requirements. Visit apimages.com to learn more.
View more posts
One thought on “Athletes Vie For US Paralympic Team Spots”
AP Images Blog 
One thought on “Athletes Vie For US Paralympic Team Spots”