Calahan Young, captain of the U.S. goalball team, is advocating for goalball to become a standout sport at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
– **Background**: Young, a former student at Slippery Rock University, helped start a collegiate goalball team after his friends expressed curiosity about the sport. Goalball, played by visually impaired athletes in silence, requires teams of three to score by throwing a weighted ball into a net. Each player wears blackout shades to level the playing field.
– **History**: Goalball originated as a rehabilitation activity for WWII veterans and has been a Paralympic sport since 1976. The U.S. has won multiple gold medals in the sport.
– **Growing Popularity**: Interest in the Paralympics has surged, with expectations for record ticket sales and extensive media coverage in Paris. Enhanced TV exposure during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics helped raise goalball’s profile, leading to increased recognition for players like Young.
– **Young’s Journey**: Diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, Young struggled with traditional sports until discovering goalball, which allowed him to thrive as an athlete. He has represented the U.S. internationally, including achieving a fifth-place finish at the world championships in 2018. After overcoming back surgery, he aims for gold in Paris, confident in his team’s potential despite strong competition from Brazil and China.
– **Building the Future**: Young emphasizes the need for a robust pipeline to introduce more visually impaired youth to goalball. Collaborating with the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes, he aims to increase awareness and opportunities within the sport. The continued participation at Slippery Rock demonstrates the sport’s ability to attract new players, showing goalball’s unique appeal as an accessible, competitive sport.