What Hoosiers are on Team USA?
So far, six Hoosiers have punched their tickets to Tokyo and more could follow in their footsteps. INDIANAPOLIS  Athletes from the far northern Indiana town of Fremont to the southern city of Evansville and everywhere in between will be representing the United States at this year's Paralympic Games. So far, there are six Hoosier athletes going to Tokyo, and more Indiana natives could join them. Team USA is expected to have more than 290 athletes. They began qualifying for U.S. Paralympic Team Aug. 24, 2019. Meet the Hoosiers on Team USA and check back for updates on more Indiana residents that qualify. Para-Archery  Andre Shelby - Jeffersonville  Fifty-four-year-old Andre Shelby is a U.S. Navy veteran and a Paralympic gold medalist. He entered the Para archery scene relatively late in life, first competing internationally in 2013. But he quickly climbed up the ranks, earning a spot in the 2016 Rio Games, where he won it all as a No. 12 seed. Shelby qualified for the Paralympic Games in Tokyo with a second-place finish during the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials in Chula Vista, California. Shelby competes in the compound men's open class for archery. Para-Cycling  Tom Davis - Fremont  Tom Davis is one of eight men and six women who will represent Team USA in para-cycling at the Tokyo Games later this summer. The 44-year-old dominated at the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials in Minneapolis. He had the top time of any athlete relative to their respective Tokyo qualification standard. But this isn't Davis' first rodeo. He finished fourth in the road race and sixth in the time trial in Rio. Davis is a U.S. Army veteran who was wounded in combat in 2006 when he was riding a Humvee that hit an IED, sending the vehicle two stories into the air before landing on its roof. He ended up losing his leg and later picked up hand cycling. He lives with his wife and four children in the small northern Indiana town of Fremont. In his spare time, he coaches youth sports. Goalball  Zach Buhler - Huntington  Zach Buhler is one of the only two first-time Paralympians on Team USA's goalball team. He was born in Indianapolis and currently resides in Huntington. The 24-year-old was introduced to goalball in 2015 at a camp in Fort Wayne. Buhler has been an athlete for his entire life. In his lifetime he has played a long list of sports starting with baseball at age 2. He was nonstop in sports until he lost his vision. Despite this, he continued playing basketball throughout high school. He had only just been introduced to goalball in the months prior to the 2016 Rio Games. But he's earned his share of hardware  he plays Beep Baseball for the Indy Thunder and has won the last four National Beep Baseball Association World Series. Para-Swimming  Evan Austin - Terre Haute  This will be Evan Austin's third Paralympics. Austin, 28, is the reigning world champion in the 50-meter butterfly. Plus, he currently has the fastest time in the world so far this season in the 400-meter freestyle. Austin set two new American records in the 400-meter freestyle and 50-meter butterfly at a competition earlier this spring. In his spare time, he helps other swimmers reach their goals while serving as an assistant coach at Purdue University. Asst coach @E_A_swim is now officially a 3-time Paralympian. #BoilerUp    Evan was a 3-time winner at the U.S. Team Trials, improving on his winning time in the 50 Fly from Para World Series in April.  https://t.co/qFwMSN3eZb   ESPYs - Vote for Evan: https://t.co/Wm8GlFh2wx pic.twitter.com/ju1fnwaaLC  Purdue Women's Swim-Dive (@PurdueWSwim) June 21, 2021  Mikaela Jenkins - Evansville  Mikaela Jenkins is one of 11 women who will be making their Paralympic debuts in Tokyo. Jenkins was fitted with her first prosthesis when she was 1 year old and learned to walk independently a few months later. She started swimming at the age of 4 and got competitive at age 8. Ticket. Punched.     Meet the 34 athletes who will represent @TeamUSA in Para swimming at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics! : https://t.co/4lfJqPTMFt pic.twitter.com/gOaRaJzhaS  U.S. Paralympics Swimming (@USParaSwimming) June 20, 2021  Wheelchair Rugby  Jeff Butler - Fort Wayne  Rio silver medalist Jeff Butler is gearing up for his second Paralympic Games. Butler, 31, started playing wheelchair rugby when he was 13 years old. He made the national team after graduating from the University of Texas - Austin in 2014.