RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — As athletes and sports across the globe fans prepare for the 2024 Olympics, Team USA will be well represented by Arkansas! Kaitlin Bounds of Russellville will be heading to Paris to represent the country as a distance runner.
Bounds is among 54 other athletes who will join Team USA's Paralympic track and field team from August 28 through September 8 in France.
“We are so proud of each and every one of these athletes,” said Sherrice Fox, director of U.S. Paralympics track and field, in a news release. “Each one of them has proven themselves to be among the best in the world, and we can’t wait to see them at their best in Paris.”
Bounds was diagnosed with autism at age 4 and graduated from Arkansas Tech University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.
She earned four letters as a member of ATU's cross-country program and was named All-Gulf South Conference in 2010 as a multiple academic all-conference honoree.
This will be her first time competing in the Paralympic Games, but Bounds is no stranger to international competition. In 2023, she was a member of Team USA at the World Para Athletics Championships track and field competition in Paris, France, and the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships track and field competition in London, England.