Paralympics weren't the plan for Roderick Townsend, now a legend of the Games

It's 2024, and Roderick Townsend owns four medals from the Paralympic Games, five world titles and a world record.

In 2014, he didn't even know about the Paralympics.

"I wasn't aware of the Paralympic movement," Townsend remembers now. "And it wasn't until I was introduced to Paralympic sports that I really understood the value of embracing not just my differences, but how to effectively be the best me that I can possibly be."

Townsend long has been an athletic wonder. Raised in the town of Stockton, California — roughly 80 miles inland from San Francisco — the chiseled, powerful Townsend starred as a defensive end on the varsity football squad at Lincoln High School. Serving as team captain in 2009, he earned first-team honors in the San Jose Athletic Association.

From there, he went onto a successful collegiate track and field career. First, Townsend enrolled at San Joaquin Delta College near his childhood home, where he set a school high-jump record and won the conference championship. Then, he thrived in the decathlon at Boise State University, his first crack at NCAA Division I athletics.

Full Article: Paralympics weren't the plan for Roderick Townsend, now a legend of the Games | NBC Olympics