Wichita Public Schools student selected for U.S. Paralympic Team

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - A Wichita Public Schools student received exciting information on Wednesday. He has been selected to compete on the U.S. Paralympic Team.

Grant Pierce is a senior at Northeast Magnet High School. He’s also a wheelchair-bound athlete who competes on the Heights track team.

Pierce said he was excited to hear the news, especially because he’s been training for this opportunity for years.

“After my injury, I decided that I really wanted to do sports and make something meaningful of myself. And, I always loved sports before my injury, and following I decided that I wanted to continue with that and make myself what I wanted to be as an athlete. So, I decided that I just wanted to continue these...continue competing, continue building what I had and what I love to do which is compete,” said the student-athlete.

In 2021, Pierce made history as the first-ever state champion in the 100-meter wheelchair race. He said once he decided that he wanted to take athletics to the next level, he started training year-round in track with the Paralympics as his goal.

“Obviously, the end goal is to be a Paralympian and then build on my career and be the best athlete I can be. Obviously, this is the next step taking it out of the country to an international meet and pursuing bigger endeavors,” said the high school senior.

Pierce said he hopes to pursue athletics and higher education after graduation. He said he plans to major in pre-med and after college, be a plastic surgeon or pursue a career in athletics.

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