Other Pittsburgh Paralympians
Eric McElvenny isn’t the only Pittsburgh-area person to be competing for the United States in this summer’s 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Kevin Polish, 38, who hails from Carmichaels, is competing in his second Paralympic games in archery. He was injured in a car accident in 1999, which led him to competing in the Paralympics.
Like Mr. McElvenny, Shawn Morelli, 45, of Meadville, was injured while serving in Afghanistan but as an engineer officer for the U.S. Army. With permanent injuries to her left eye, neck and brain, she is cycling in her second Paralympic games.
Equestrian Rebecca Hart, 36, of Erie was born in Pittsburgh with a rare genetic disorder that caused paralysis from the middle of her back down. She’ll be competing in her fourth Paralympic games.
Calahan Young, 26, of Irwin, is embarking on his first Paralympic experience in Tokyo as a member of the goalball team. He has retinitis pigmentosa, which causes peripheral vision loss, night blindness and color blindness.
James Stuck of New Kensington will suit up for his second Paralympics as
a member of the U.S. sitting volleyball team. An Army veteran who served in the 101st Airborne Division, Stuck lost most of his right leg in Iraq in December and began his Paralympic career while recovering at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington,D.C.
Othermembers of Team USA include Evansville, Ind.,competitive swimmer Mikaela Jenkins, 18, who was born with Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency, which impaired her limb growth and led to the amputation of her left foot when she was 8 months old. She learned to swim whenshe was 4 and started competingat 8 and now the games will cause her to miss the first few days as a freshman at Grove City College.