Teenage Paralympians aiming for Team USA’s first badminton medal

PARIS (AP) - Miles Krajewski and Jayci Simon barely spoke throughout the most pivotal points of their Paralympic debut.

Team USA's mixed doubles para badminton pair offered brief encouragement between points but moved around each other without a word once the shuttlecock was in the air. The 19-year-olds' chemistry was on full display on Thursday at La Chapelle Arena in northern Paris as they defeated India 23-21, 21-11 to start their pursuit of Paralympic gold.

Krajewski and Simon already made history as the first U.S. badminton Paralympians and are now chasing their country's first medal in the sport. They need to finish in the top two of their group to advance to the semifinals in the mixed doubles event in the SH6 category for players of short stature.

"Our coach instilled in us that we're one when we're out there," Simon said. "We work together a lot better now, and it definitely has paid off."

Krajewski and Simon will both compete in men's and women's singles competition before facing Thailand to close group play at 8:00 p.m. Thursday in Paris. A win over Thailand would put Team USA among the final four pairs, one win away from securing the historic medal.

"I think we've got to carry some of the confidence along with the fire, because they're also a really good opponent," Krajewski said. "We need to bring our energy to hopefully come out as No. 1 in the group."

Krajewski and Simon say winning a medal would further establish para badminton in the U.S.

"It would really help grow the sport in the U.S. because we would have something to back us up well," Simon said. "I think that it would create more funding and more opportunities to grow the sport. So I'm excited that after the games, whether we win a medal or not, there's more visibility now, so it will help us advocate."

Krajewski says he has seen the sport strengthen its foothold in the U.S. in recent years as more Americans have competed alongside him in international tournaments and more para badminton academies appear around the country.

"It's been incredible just knowing that since I started, it wasn't very popular, and seeing it start to grow was really nice," Krajewski said. "Ever since then, if we bring home a medal, hopefully, it will grow at least five times as big."

Simon did much of her training without any coaching, using a portable net at a local church's gym in Saint Johns, Michigan. She was forced to research and create her own workouts, rely on her parents to throw her shuttlecocks, and gain playing experience from the local recreational badminton club at Michigan State University. She is studying exercise science and kinesiology at Lansing Community College on top of part-time work as an optometrist.

The duo's chemistry slowly grew through two years of playing sporadically when they lived in different states. Krajewski and Simon say they finally found nonverbal chemistry this summer training together full-time at Frisco Badminton Academy in Frisco, Texas.

"It was a lot of fun, just knowing that we've been training for three months together full-time," Krajewski said. "Knowing that I can trust her in certain parts and she can trust me and knowing where we're at without having to tell each other is really nice."

The connection has been in the making since 2016, when Simon met Krajewski at a Little People of America sports camp. The 11-year-old Simon, who had never heard of badminton, competed against Krajewski in several sports and impressed his father. Krajewski's father complimented her athleticism, and in an effort to grow the sport, recommended she try para badminton.

"I had quite a few different mixed doubles partners before that," Simon said. "It was always kind of like a thought (that) if they have mixed doubles debuting in the 2024 Paralympics, then us two would have the best shot together to qualify. And so once it was put in Paris, that's when we kind of decided to play together." ___

Jack Leo is a student in the undergraduate certificate program at the Carmical Sports Media Institute at the University of Georgia.

___

AP Paralympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paralympic-games