Spokane athletes prepare for the Paralympic Games | news

When the athletes from Parasport Spokane got ready to leave for Tokyo on Tuesday morning, they had their last training session on Monday evening before heading to the Paralympics.

KHQ spoke to two globally ranked athletes who will represent Spokane on the global stage.

The 18-year-old Hannah Dederick takes second place in the world rankings over 100 meters and is going to her first Paralympic games.

“It feels like my dream is coming true,” she said.

Jaleen Roberts also stands for Spokane – she is second in the world in the long jump and top three in the world over 100 and 200 meters.

“Mentally, physically, I’m ready – ready for competition,” said Roberts.

Both Roberts and Dederick are very proud to represent Spokane on this stage:

“It’s cool to be from such a small area – to represent not just the United States, but Washington and Spokane,” said Roberts.

They said all of their hard work led to it and they were ready to win:

“Got me on the podium,” said Dederick.

“My goal is to be on the podium in this gold place, but of course I am very grateful that I am going with them and that my hard work has paid off,” said Roberts.

The games start on 08/24.

If you’d like to follow her journey, you can follow Parasport Spokane on Facebook, @JaleenRoberts on social media, and Hannah on Instagram at @ hbanana012.