Scaroni rolls to Tokyo Paralympics

Tekoa resident appreciates the city’s support

Garth Meyer, Whitman County Gazette | Jul 29, 20210

Mark Reis I U.S. Paralympics Track and Field count

Susannah Scaroni, who grew up in Tekoa, makes her third Paralympics appearance in Tokyo after winning the U.S. trials in June in the women's wheelchair 5,000 meters and 1,500 meters races.

CHAMPAGNE, ILL. — Susannah Scaroni wasn’t even racing.

She was pushing road miles in a wheelchair as a freshman and sophomore at Carroll College in Helena, Mont.

Then her chemistry professor told her about a GPS-based website “Map My Run.”

It turns out her little route was 22 miles.

“I was just doing this because I liked it,” she said.

Scaroni got a call inviting her to transfer to the University of Illinois to train in a wheelchair racing program. A coach connected to it knew of her through her appearances at Bloomsday while growing up in Tekoa.

Scaroni has been training, racing, and studying...