At this year鈥檚 summer Paralympics in Paris, earned a silver medal in the F64 shot put. She also competed in the F64 discus event and came in 10th place. F64 is a for Paralympians with limb deficiencies and leg length differences.

鈥淲ith able-bodied kids, they can use their body differently,鈥� Middleton, a sophomore at Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California, The Daily Bulletin in an interview last year. 鈥淭hey have both of their legs. They can do certain things a lot stronger. But it doesn鈥檛 matter because I can still compete with them.鈥� 

Middleton is one of three inspiring high school Paralympians on Team USA who are competing in Paris this year. Here are their stories:

ARELLE MIDDLETON, 16

Middleton was with a congenital femoral deficiency, which means her left leg is shorter than her right leg and her left hip is underdeveloped. Despite physical challenges, she competes alongside athletes without disabilities in track and field high school meets.

In 2023, when Middleton was just 15 years old, she was named U.S. Paralympics Track & Field High School Female Field Athlete of the Year, and also a spot on the U.S. Paralympics Track & Field High School All-American list.

Her mother, former WNBA player Sandra Van Embricqs, encouraged Middleton to get involved in sports at an early age.

Middleton joined the Challenged Athletes Foundation, or CAF, at age 12 and frequently won competitions. But when she entered high school, her mother strongly encouraged her to join the Los Osos track and field team.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know how I would feel being with able-bodied kids,鈥� Middleton told The Daily Bulletin. 鈥淭hey wouldn鈥檛 really understand as much as kids with a disability would understand, but I met some great people here. It鈥檚 good to be part of something with your school.鈥�

The Paralympian plans to compete in both wheelchair basketball and track and field after she graduates in 2026. She believes cross-training will benefit her performance in each sport.

Several college basketball programs have already Middleton.

JORDAN WHITE, 15

At 15 years old, Jordan White is the youngest archer from the U.S. to for the Paralympics this summer. 

A sophomore at Hill Country Christian School of Austin, White鈥檚 math teacher Christopher Felleisen calls him a 鈥減henomenal student.鈥�

He鈥檚 also a quick learner. The Austin, Texas, native tried archery for the first time less than four years ago when he was looking for a new activity to keep him busy during COVID. He has since won six national records. And less than a year ago, he began working toward competing in Paris.

White was with a right leg that is shorter than the left, challenging his flexibility. He dedicates six to seven days a week to perfecting his form, strength, and mental agility and understands the role he plays in enhancing the representation of people with disabilities in archery. 

鈥淚 really hope that I can pave the way for other young disabled archers,鈥� he Hill Country News in August.

鈥淛ordan is a hard worker, asks great questions and is an extremely high achiever,鈥� Felleisen told 社区黑料. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 exciting about having Jordan in class is that he鈥檚 dedicated to doing well and it鈥檚 seen in his athletic performance, but his level of achievement is not very different in the classroom.鈥�

White, who is part of a close-knit group of friends known as the 鈥楲unch Bunch,鈥� takes part in his  high school鈥檚 engineering pathway program, which focuses on engineering and robotics classes. He鈥檚 also a member of the National Junior Honor Society and the yearbook staff. 

鈥淗e鈥檚 known for being incredibly intelligent and he鈥檚 at the top of all his classes, and everyone knows it,鈥� added his academic and college advisor Jessica Pyo.

His teachers say they鈥檙e closely following his performance at the Paralympics.

鈥淚t looks like he鈥檚 having a lot of fun and this is a great story for him to tell, especially with college applications coming soon.鈥� Pyo said.

MAYLEE PHELPS, 17

At just 17, Maylee Phelps has taken wheelchair tennis by storm and has secured a win in the first round of women鈥檚 singles in Paris. 

Phelps, a high school junior in Portland, Oregon, was with spina bifida, a condition where the spinal cord does not develop properly. This requires her to wear a leg brace and use a wheelchair.

The Paralympian began competing nationally at age 12, the International Tennis Federation鈥檚 Wheelchair Tennis Junior of the Year in 2023 and she scored the No. 1 position on the Cruyff Foundation Girls鈥� Junior Ranking. 

Phelps her homeschool schedule with at least five days a week of tennis practice and strength training. 

鈥淪he just absorbs,鈥� U.S. national wheelchair tennis coach John Devorss the University of Oregon. 鈥淵ou tell her something and it just takes a few times and she鈥檚 correcting it herself, which is a great characteristic of any athlete is just be really coachable.鈥�

Phelps and Devorss train in Salem, Oregon, which is more than an hour south of Phelps鈥� home in Portland. 

In her free time, the tennis player enjoys puzzles and playing with her dog Otis. She also volunteers at Shriners Hospital for Children, introducing children with disabilities to tennis.

In just a few weeks, these Olympians will be back to learning English and math with a proud story to tell.

Rivera, the youngest athlete on Team USA, a gold medal for the women鈥檚 gymnastics team finals, alongside decorated gymnasts Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles and Suni Lee.

鈥淭his was such an amazing experience and just being with the team to support them meant the world to me,” Rivera after receiving her gold medal in Paris. 鈥淚t was so surreal.鈥�

The 16-year-old New Jersey native did not compete as part of gymnastics team’s final competition, however. Rivera failed to qualify for the final based on her performance in two individual events 鈥� the bars and beam. Her overall score still helped the U.S. women鈥檚 gymnastics team advance and clinch the gold.

absolutely loving the commentators talking about how important hezly rivera is to this team and how just because she isn鈥檛 competing, doesn鈥檛 mean she contributed any less to wherever they stand at the end of the night

鈥� aman (@royaltothebay)

Rivera attends Inspire Academy, an online school that allows her the flexibility to balance a rigorous training schedule.

Like Rivera, Wilson in the first leg of the U.S. men鈥檚 4×400-meter relay, helping the team to qualify for the final and making him the youngest male track and field athlete from the United States to win a gold medal at the Olympics.

Although Wilson, who is a rising junior at Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, admitted he 鈥渄idn鈥檛 run his best,鈥� he praised his teammates including Rai Jefferson, Christopher Bailey and Vernon Norwood, who helped support him during the run for gold. And he returned the favor as he them on from the stands of the Stade de France as they secured an Olympic-record victory. 

鈥淚 did what people said was the impossible鈥︹�� Wilson on Instagram. 鈥淚鈥檓 the youngest US male track athlete to receive a gold medal at the Olympics!鈥� 

The track and field sensation attention on social media when he his thoughts about the upcoming school year following his performance in Paris. He took to X and said, 鈥淒ang, I really got school in 2 and a half weeks #Gold #OlympicGamesParis.鈥�

Dang, I really got school in 2 and a half weeks

鈥� Quincy 鈥淨鈥� Wilson (@QuincyWilson5)

Jokes in reply immediately came flying in from fans after Wilson made this post.

鈥淲hen the teacher asks for answers, raise your medal instead of your hand,鈥� one fan said.  

鈥淭hem 鈥榳hat did yall do over summer break鈥� conversations gonna hit different lmao,鈥� another added.

Like her high school Team USA counterparts, Shackell鈥檚 preliminary round participation helped earn her and her teammates Olympic medals. She a silver medal in the 4×200 freestyle relay with teammates including Katie Ledecky, Paige Madden and fellow high schooler Claire Weinstein. She also secured gold in the 4×100 medley relay with Regan Smith, Lilly King and Gretchen Walsh.

The 17-year-old, who will begin her senior year at Carmel High School this week, has made history as Carmel鈥檚 first female student to win an Olympic medal in swimming.

Many know her as an Olympian. We know her as a student. Welcome back to our Senior Greyhound ! We are so proud of you. Go Hounds!

鈥� Tim Phares (@Tim4Phares)

鈥淚 was just happy to be there and happy to go as fast as I can, and get the girls the next night a good spot,鈥� Shackell . 鈥淚鈥檝e been wanting a gold medal or like any medal since I was little, like 8 years old and dreaming of that moment. To be able to hold it is crazy, I鈥檝e been looking at it everyday.鈥�

Shackell is also the second female high school student from Indiana to win an Olympic medal in swimming.

For Rivera, Wilson and Shackell, many fans anticipate their return to the Olympics podium in 2028, when the U.S. will host the Summer Games in Los Angeles, California. They鈥檝e just got to finish their homework first. 

Learn more about the other high school students we rooted for on Team USA this summer here. 

Among the athletes competing on Team USA this summer, several are still in high school making their mark in sports ranging from gymnastics to skateboarding. Many of these students are first time Olympians, who will be competing while also managing their class work and other academic responsibilities. 

Young stars on Team USA, such as gymnast Hezly Rivera and sprinter Quincy Wilson, are already rising fan-favorites. 

Meet six high schoolers we鈥檙e rooting for on Team USA. Let the games begin!

PAIGE HEYN, 16

Skateboarding made its Olympic debut at the and is returning this year in Paris. 

All eyes will be on Tempe, Arizona鈥檚 Paige Heyn, one of the fastest rising women in the sport. Heyn is 鈥渁lmost single-handedly responsible for that level of progression in women鈥檚 skateboarding,鈥� John Nicholson, Heyn’s coach with USA Skateboarding, said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 funny to be a pioneer at 16. In a matter of six months, she has directly influenced her competition.鈥�

鈥淚 don鈥檛 really do normal 16-year-old stuff,鈥� Heyn said.

Known as a switch skater, Heyn鈥檚 ability to skate with both her left and right foot forward has set her apart as she competes. 

Heyn is a sophomore enrolled in the United States Performance Academy (USPA), an online middle and high school for young elite athletes. Despite constant travel and time zone changes, she prioritizes her academics, according to her USPA learning coach Blair Lunn. 

鈥淪he is really enjoying her World History class,鈥� Lunn told 社区黑料. 鈥淪he is also learning American Sign Language.鈥� 

CLAIRE WEINSTEIN, 17

Claire Weinstein became one of the youngest swimmers to for the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials at just 13 years old. Now at 17, she intends to keep making history.

With a lifelong record of straight A鈥檚 鈥� which she鈥檚 recently demonstrated at the online Laurel Springs School 鈥� Weinstein鈥檚 teachers and trainers applaud her hard work, talent and focus.

鈥淐laire absorbs information and training like a sponge,鈥� Weinstein鈥檚 former full-time coach Carle Fierro told 社区黑料. 鈥淪he is efficient in quickly applying corrections to her technique, and is able to make connections in the water a lot of swimmers are unable to do.鈥�

Fierro praised Weinstein for her remarkable sense of humor and hours of free time spent teaching young kids to swim. The teenager has committed to a decorative career as a top swimming recruit in her class at University of California-Berkeley. 

She is interested in either studying law or medicine, Claire鈥檚 mother Diane Weinstein told 社区黑料.

QUINCY WILSON, 16

16-year-old Quincy Wilson a spot on the Team USA relay team, making history as the youngest-ever male U.S. track and field Olympian.

The upcoming junior is also an honor roll student at Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland.

Wilson brings 鈥渁bsolute joy to the classroom through his excitement to learn something new鈥� and a 鈥減ositive, respectful, inquisitive nature to each subject, enhancing the learning of his classmates,鈥� Bullis Head of Upper School Robert Pollinco said. 

Wilson has received an array of prestigious honors at Bullis, including the Freshman Manuel Jos茅 Baca, Jr. Joy of Living Award 鈥� and most recently, the Sophomore Head of Upper School Award earlier this spring. 

When not on the track, Wilson enjoys video games like Fortnite and Call of Duty with his friends. 

Pollinco said Wilson is seen as a 鈥渃onsummate scholar, leader, athlete, artist, explorer and most importantly, true friend at Bullis School.鈥�

ALEX SHACKELL, 17

17-year-old Alex Shackell the first female swimmer from Indiana鈥檚 renowned Carmel High School to make a U.S. Olympic team. Shackell recognizes she is a part of not only the standing history of Indiana sports, but the athletic legacy of her high school.

Carmel鈥檚 swimming program won its consecutive state championship under coach Chris Plumb鈥檚 leadership, who believed Shackell鈥檚 best opportunity at becoming an Olympian was if she competed in the 200-meter butterfly 鈥� and that鈥檚 exactly what happened. 

Shackell is a rising junior at Carmel, but has committed to swimming at University of California-Berkeley, where she will be a conference title contender. There, she will her older brother Aaron Shackell, who鈥檚 also competing in his first Olympic games this year.

THOMAS HEILMAN, 17

Earlier this summer, 17-year-old Thomas Heilman the youngest American male swimmer to qualify for an Olympics team since Michael Phelps.

However, Heilman dismisses comparisons to the Olympic champion, who has a total of 28 medals.

鈥淚t鈥檚 always great to be in the same conversation as [Phelps], but I鈥檓 trying not to worry about that too much and trying to take things day by day,鈥� Heilman during a press conference after earning his ticket to Paris.

Heilman, an upcoming senior at Western Albemarle High School in Crozet, Virginia, and of the greatest high school swimming recruits of all time, has committed to the University of Virginia.

HEZLY RIVERA, 16

New Jersey native Hezly Rivera is the youngest person competing on Team USA鈥檚 roster.

After moving to Texas in 2021, Rivera began at World Olympics Gymnastics Academy. There, she is coached directly by Valeri and Anna Liukin, the parents of Olympic champion Nastia Liukin. The gym has collectively earned 36 World and Olympic medals, having trained Olympians like Carly Patterson and Gabby Douglas.

While Rivera enjoys baking in her downtime (her favorite creations include red velvet and chocolate cakes), spending time with her dog and laying down to rest and recover from six days of training is just as rewarding. 

Rivera attends Inspire Academy, an online school that allows her the flexibility to focus on training full time.