Road to the Paralympics: Paris 2024

Travis Gaertner needs your help to pursue his dreams of competing in the Paris 2024 Paralympics!

Travis Gaertner was born without his lower limbs. What if he defined success as being able to keep up with the neighborhood kids when he was young?

Being physically active thrilled him but at first, he didn't know how to do that when everyone around him was able to so easily. So he has adapted to what a fully active lifestyle looked like for him. At an early age he wanted to test everything he could to determine what were HIS specific limits. That mindset resulted in 2 Paralympic gold medals.

While most children learn to ride a bike at an early age. It wasn't until later in his adult years that Travis experience the freedom of being on a hand cycle. And now at the age of 44, that is his mechanism to becoming the best he can be.

He was named alternate for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, medaled at multiple UCI Paracycling World Cups, and won a bronze medal at the 2019 & 2023 World Paracycling Championships. Travis is a two-time Paralympic gold medalist but even with those accomplishments under his belt, funding does not come easy for Paralympic athletes.

 

With the right training, equipment, and performance, Travis hopes to garner the right international experience necessary to qualify for the 2024 games. His current training schedule reflects the intensity, rigor, and commitment he cultivated when training for the 2000 and 2004 Paralympic games. Early morning wake-up calls, 2 training sessions per day, balanced nutrition, sport psychology exercises, strength training, and ample recovery practices to be able to push through more pain tomorrow than he did today.

 

As with any other world-class sporting event, quality equipment doesn’t come cheap. This is especially true in Paralympic sports, where several vendors control a highly concentrated supply. A world-class handcycle with a single set of racing wheels costs over $20,000. Travis hopes to raise enough funds to maximize his performance and gain the right experience on the road to Paris for the 2024 Paralympic games!

 

Join the team and donate now to help Travis fill his funding gap!

 

More information can be found on Travis' website at GaertnerGold.com

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