ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris may be over, but the City of Love isn't done yet as the Paralympics Games is set to begin on Wednesday, Aug. 28 in Paris.
Among those participating in the games include St. Louis-native Colleen Young.
Before competing in the Paralympics, Young swam for the Clayton-Shaw Park Tideriders and the Lindbergh High School team. Young has albinism and is legally blind.
"Growing up in St. Louis, and I had an athletic older brother so my parents made me try all different sports when I was a kid," said Young on Total Information A.M. "Baseball, soccer, basketball, you name it. But nothing struck like swimming did."
"It's easier for me to focus on myself than an object like a ball that I can't see. Swimming became kind of a passion in that way where it was something I can really connect with and it was easier for me to adapt, learn and grow."
Swimming has led to quite a level of success for Young, with Young collecting 12 medals in her career, including three gold medals at the World Championships.
"I've been fortunate to be able to be surrounded by a really good support system and people constantly motivating me," said Young
Young is set to participate in her fourth Paralympics Games, competing in the 100 meter breast stroke and 200 meter individual medley in swimming.
In the previous three Paralympic games she participated in, she was able to capture a silver and two bronzes medals.
Speaking on Total Information A.M., Young explained how visually impaired swimmers like her have to rely on "tappers" for a key part of their competition.
"A tapper is basically like a big long pole with a tennis ball at the end," said Young. "A coach will be at the end, and they're called "tappers" because that's literally what they do. You tap either a shoulder, the head or back of someone who is swimming on the wall and that's how they know to do a flip turn."
With Young set to participate in her fourth Paralympics, she has recognized there's much more fanfare for the games than when she started her Paralympic journey when she was 14-years-old.
"I remember coming back (from London in 2012) my freshman year and people didn't really care that much as bad as that sounds," said Young. "But now going to my fourth games, I'm getting interviews, I'm getting people who are saying to me I'm a role model for their younger child with albinism."
"It's really cool to see not just my success story, but other Paralympic athletes and their success stories."