CUMBERLAND, Maine — With just over two weeks to go before the Paralympic Games opening ceremonies, Cumberland resident and lifelong Mainer, Clara Brown is getting ready to compete once again for Team USA.
Brown grew up in Falmouth. Her first love was gymnastics and she dreamed of competing on the Olympic stage. Then, when she was 12 years old, Brown landed on her neck at practice, causing major damage to two of her vertebrates. She said she remembers being told she would probably never walk again.
"I just didn't really fully process it, I was so young," Brown said during an interview with NEWS CENTER Maine in 2019. "I didn't understand what a spinal cord injury was and what that meant."
Despite that reality, Brown beat the odds.
It wasn't long after, though, that Brown found herself back in a wheelchair. She was diagnosed with avascular necrosis, which is a disease that affects mobility. After a successful surgery and months of building back her strength, Brown once again found her footing and a new passion: cycling.
This will be the second time she represents Team USA at the Paralympic Games; the first being in 2020 in Tokyo.
However, the games in Tokyo were nothing like she had imagined. A global pandemic meant no fans in the stands and to make matters worse, Brown was recovering from an injury. She didn't win a medal but she didn't give up. Later this month, Brown is headed to Paris where she's looking to do her best and maybe refine the conversation around athletes with disabilities.
Watch the full segment with 207 to hear from Brown and learn what she is working on next.