UAB student Mallerie Badgett, 19, will head to China Thursday, Aug. 21 to compete in the 2008 Paralympics Sept. 6-17 in Beijing.
Badgett, a sophomore studying early childhood education, will compete in the 100- and 200-meter wheelchair track events. This will be her first trip to the Paralympics, a multisport event for athletes with disabilities that include physical disabilities; they are held every four years after the Olympic Games.
Badgett says she practices on the track 20 hours a week, and her best racing times are 40.82 in the 200-meter race and 22.54 in the 100-meter. She qualified in the 2008 trials in Tempe, Ariz., in June, earning fourth in the 100-meter and third in the 200-meter races.
Badgett says her instructors at UAB are making it easier for her to compete in the games, and she will begin her semester classwork online.