Ten Minnesotans invited to Rio for Paralympic Games

By NEWS SERVICES

August 23, 2016 at 4:20AM
Chuck Aoki, a paralympic rugby player, helped Givenson Thimjon, 6, cq, with shoulder pads during his shift at Dick's Sporting Goods, Friday, July 15, 2016 in Richfield, MN. Dick's Sporting Goods has a program in which it hires Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls and allows them to schedule hours around their training and competition schedules. ] (ELIZABETH FLORES/STAR TRIBUNE) ELIZABETH FLORES • eflores@startribune.com ORG XMIT: MIN1607151110551422
Chuck Aoki, a paralympic rugby player, helped Givenson Thimjon, 6, with shoulder pads during his shift at Dick's Sporting Goods in July in Richfield. Dick's Sporting Goods has a program in which it hires Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls and allows them to schedule hours around their training and competition schedules. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The largest U.S. Paralympic Team in history, announced Monday and set to compete next month in Rio, will include 10 Minnesotans.

The 267-member team for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games (Sept. 7-18) includes these athletes who either are from Minnesota or live in the state:

• Chuck Aoki (Minneapolis), wheelchair rugby.

• Sean Boyle (Minneapolis), soccer.

• Ben Goodrich (St. Paul), judo.

• Rose Hollermann (Elysian), wheelchair basketball.

• Ian Lynch (Brooklyn Park), wheelchair basketball.

• Aaron Pike (Park Rapids), track and field.

• Jon Rydberg (Woodbury), wheelchair tennis.

• Lexi Shifflett (Waseca), sitting volleyball.

• Natalie Sims (Edina), swimming.

• Mallory Weggemann (Eagan), swimming.

Aoki and Lynch won bronze medals at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, according to their biographies.

"To see our team increase in size by more than 17 percent since London is tremendous," said Rick Adams, USOC chief of Paralympic Sport said in a statement. "And it shows the growth of the Paralympic movement here in the U.S."

American athletes will compete in 20 sports contested through the 11-day competition. For the first time since 2004, Team USA qualified all eight of its team sports to compete.

At the London Paralympic Games, Team USA won 98 medals, finishing sixth overall.

California has the most representation with 29 athletes. Michigan and Washington are tied for the second-most represented states with 14 athletes.

The Rio 2016 Paralympic Games will be the largest edition of the Games yet, with an estimated 4,350 athletes. Athletes from more than 176 countries.

Etc.

• Robert Coe struck out nine in eight innings and helped the Saints end a four-game losing streak with a 7-0 victory over Wichita at CHS Field. Tony Thomas and Alonzo Harris both homered and finished with three hits.

• Sarah Burnham shot 1-over-par 72 and took a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Minnesota Women's State Amateur at Brackett's Crossing Country Club. Olivia Herrick, a two-time state amateur champion, is second. University of Minnesota golfers Emie Peronnin and Heather Ciskowski are tied for third at 4-over 75, along with Anni Heck.

• Jon DuToit and Michael DuToit of Chaska Town Course and Nathan Proshek and Eric Witty of New Prague Golf Club carded 5-under 67s for a share of the first-round lead at the MGA Four-Ball Championship at Edina Country Club. Fourteen duos that finished at 1 under or better will play Round 2 on Wednesday.

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