Ellen Geddes hopes to inspire with her competitive success

(NEXSTAR) — Wheelchair fencing Paralympian Ellen Geddes said she has made many changes ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. The 35-year-old from Johnston, South Carolina, has a new coach and worked with a sports psychologist to get himself in the right headspace.

“I would really like to get on the podium,” Geddes said.

Geddes was a former competitive equestrian before breaking her back in a car accident in 2011. She suffered a complete spinal cord injury and only a year after starting wheelchair fencing, Geddes qualified for his first wheelchair world championship team.

“I really hope that through my success in competition, people can be inspired to try it, try fencing and try their hand at any type of competition and believe that they can continue to do it even if they don’t succeed,” Geddes said.

Geddes competed at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and has won at least a dozen individual and team medals in zone and World Cup competitions to date.