Talen Ray Jourdan (born October 25, 1999) is an American wheelchair basketball player and a member of the United States men's national wheelchair basketball team. He will represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.

Talen Jourdan
Personal information
Full nameTalen Ray Jourdan
Born (1999-10-25) October 25, 1999 (age 25)[1]
Deerfield, Wisconsin, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin–Whitewater
Sport
SportWheelchair basketball
Disability class1.0
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Men's wheelchair basketball
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris Team
World Championship
Gold medal – first place 2022 Dubai Team
Parapan American Games
Gold medal – first place 2023 Santiago Team

Early life and education

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Jourdan attended University of Wisconsin–Whitewater where he was a member of the wheelchair basketball team.[2] He helped lead the Warhawk's to the 2024 National Wheelchair Basketball Association men's college national championship.[3][4]

Career

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Jourdan represented the United States 2022 Wheelchair Basketball World Championships and won a gold medal.[5] At 23 years old, he was the youngest player on the team.[6]

In November 2023, he represented the United States at the 2023 Parapan American Games and won a gold medal in wheelchair basketball. As a result, Team USA automatically qualified to compete at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[7] On March 30, 2024, he was selected to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[8][9][10]

Personal life

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At 13 years old, during the opening morning of deer hunting season, Jourdan was in a tree stand while hunting when he experienced a bout of dizziness and fell to the ground. He broke his collar bone, suffered from a collapsed lung, and broken ribs, fractured vertebrae in his neck and suffered a broken T6/T7 vertebrae in his back.[11] Due to his injuries, he became paralyzed from the waist down.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Talen Jourdan". Paris 2024 Paralympics. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  2. ^ Lindeke, Chris (November 16, 2023). "Five Warhawks to represent Team USA at Parapan Games". uww.edu. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  3. ^ Lindeke, Chris (March 18, 2024). "Men's wheelchair basketball wins national championship". uww.edu. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  4. ^ Garcia, Katie (April 4, 2024). "Beyond boundaries: UW-Whitewater wheelchair basketball team celebrates national championship, anticipates Paralympics". The Gazette. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  5. ^ "USA win men's title at Wheelchair Basketball Worlds, Netherlands defend women's title". paralympic.org. June 21, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  6. ^ Goldberg, Steve (June 9, 2023). "U.S. Squads Enter Postponed Wheelchair Basketball Worlds With Medal Hopes". teamusa.org. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  7. ^ "GOLD SECURED. Team USA Earns Gold at 2023 Santiago Parapan American Games; Receives Automatic Qualifier to 2024 Paris Paralympic Games". nwba.org. November 25, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  8. ^ "Paralympics Games Roster Selected for 2024 U.S.A Men's Wheelchair Basketball Team". nwba.org. March 30, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  9. ^ Steed, Calahan (April 6, 2024). "Talen Jourdan to compete at Paralympic Games for Team USA Men's National Team". hngnews.com. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  10. ^ Aarsvold, Marcus (August 25, 2024). "UW Whitewater athlete goes for gold at 2024 Paralympic Summer Games". wmtv15news.com. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  11. ^ Peterson, Samuel. "Wisconsin-Whitewater's Talen Jourdan Is 1 Great Player". collegebasketballtimes.com. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  12. ^ Sopyla, Natalie (June 26, 2024). "Whitewater wheelchair basketball players, coach join Team USA at Paralympic Games". spectrumnews1.com. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
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