PARIS, FRANCE – On the opening night of track and field at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in front of a capacity crowd at the famed Stáde de France, Paralympic rookie Korban Best (Southlake, Texas) earned the first track and field medal for Team USA in Paris.

Best’s silver medal in the men’s 100-meter T47, which also came with a career-best time, led the U.S. results alongside a fourth-place finish from two-time Paralympic medalist Jaleen Roberts (Kent, Washington), who placed fourth in the women’s 200-meter T37.

Best got off to a blistering start in the final, and was edged at the finish line by Brazilian Petrucio Ferreira de los Santos, who won gold in 10.68. Best’s time of 10.75 came just hours after he tied his previous personal best at 10.78 in the morning’s preliminary heats.

Brand new to Para sport, Best made his international debut at the 2024 Para Athletics World Championships in Kobe, Japan, and has been training out of the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center. The 21-year-old credited his teammates and coaches for welcoming him into the Para family and getting him acclimated to competing at the international level so quickly.

“Stepping on the world stage and immediately causing the ripple effect that I did for my first year in Para, it’s absolutely astronomical,” Best said. “I can’t say it enough – the people in Chula Vista, the athletes, the staff have just shown me the ropes and guided me throughout this process. I definitely say I can’t do it alone because I have a whole team behind me.”

Making her second Paralympic appearance, Roberts just missed the podium in her 200-meter competition, placing fourth with a season-best time of 27.99. Roberts, who won Paralympic silver in Tokyo in both the 100-meter and 200-meter, was kept out of the 2024 world championships due to injury and said it was the first 200-meter race she had been able to run this season. She will return to the track for the long jump and 100-meter competitions.

Roberts said she was happy with her race and that she fed off the crowd, which was a massive difference from competing in front of an empty stadium in Tokyo.

“This race was definitely good for the nervous system and it was also good for my confidence because I didn’t expect to do as well as I did,” she said. “I can’t complain, it just feels good to be back. It allowed me to shake my nerves and get my nervous system activated for the long jump, which is what I’m really looking forward to.”

Fellow T37 athlete Taylor Swanson (Spokane, Washington), who won multiple medals at her world championships debut in 2024, was in podium contention in the 200-meter before losing her footing and falling at the end of the race and as a result, crossed the finish line in ninth.

Three-time Paralympic medalist Noah Malone (Fishers, Indiana) got off to a strong start in his second Paralympic campaign, winning his heat of the men’s 100-meter T12 to advance to tomorrow night’s finals. The 2023 world champion in the event, Malone is also the 2020 Paralympic silver medalist.

The reigning Paralympic champion in the women’s 5000-meter T54, Susannah Scaroni (Tekoa, Washington) will get a chance to defend her title after advancing to tomorrow’s final with a win in her heat. Teammate and two-time Paralympian Jenna Fesemyer (Ravenna, Ohio) also earned a spot in the 5000-meter T54 final by placing fifth in her heat.

In the men’s 5000-meter T54 competition, Team USA’s Daniel Romanchuk (Mount Airy, Maryland) and Brian Siemann (Champaign, Illinois) earned spots in tomorrow’s final. Romanchuk is the defending Paralympic champion in the event. Competing in his seventh Paralympic Games, Aaron Pike (Park Rapids, Michigan) missed the event final by one place but will return to the track for multiple events in Paris.

Two-time Paralympian Rayven Sample (Jamestown, New York) made his debut in Paris with an eighth-place finish in his heat of the men’s 100-meter T47. He will return to the track for his best event, the men’s 400-meter T47, later in the competition.

Track and field competition in Paris resumes Aug. 31 at 10 a.m. local time. All sessions will be streamed live on NBC’s Peacock. Follow U.S. Paralympics Track & Field on Facebook, Instagram and X for team results and updates from Paris 2024.

For media requests and photo inquiries, please contact Kristen Gowdy at Kristen.Gowdy@usopc.org.

Team USA Medals – August 30, 2024

SILVER
Korban Best – men’s 100-meter T47

Other Team USA Results

Jaleen Roberts – 4th, women’s 200-meter T37

Taylor Swanson – 9th, women’s 200-meter T37

Noah Malone – Finals, men’s 100-meter T12

Susannah Scaroni – Finals, women’s 5000-meter T54

Jenna Fesemyer – Finals, women’s 5000-meter T54

Daniel Romanchuk – Finals, men’s 5000-meter T54

Brian Siemann – Finals, men’s 5000-meter T54

Aaron Pike – Prelims, men’s 5000-meter T54

Rayven Sample – Prelims, men’s 100-meter T47

Best’s Career Night Leads to First U.S. Paralympics Track & Field Medal in Paris

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