Jaleen Roberts

Started: She was involved in a variety of sports growing up including basketball, football, wrestling, and athletics in Kent, WA, United States of America. She took up Para sports in 2017 in Spokane, WA, United States of America. (teamusa.org, 27 Aug 2019; sportlio.com, 18 Jun 2019; kentreporter.com, 12 Jan 2017) Reason: She was introduced to Para athletics by coaches Teresa Skinner and David Greig. "The biggest sacrifice that I had to make was my comfort. I was hesitant to join the Paralympics because I had always competed against non-Para athletes. After stepping out of my comfort zone, I received many opportunities that wouldn't have been possible otherwise." (teamusa.org, 27 Aug 2019; sportlio.com, 18 Jun 2019) Ambition: To win gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (essentiallysports.com, 10 Oct 2023) Milestones: At the 2019 World Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, she was a member of the United States team that won the first world championship gold medal in the universal 4x100m relay. (paralympic.org, 14 Nov 2019) Additional Info: MENTAL HEALTH She has experienced mental health issues during her life, which she believes began when she was a child. She has spent time in hospital and been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. "I've always been super transparent about my mental health journey, just because I feel like it's something that needs to be more normalised, especially in the athletics community. People think that athletes in some way are exempt from mental health issues - suicide, depression, anxiety - and we're not. I hope that my experience might help other athletes, and everybody in general, understand that it's OK to struggle. It's OK to reach out and speak up when you need help." (ewu.edu, 08 Feb 2022; A Winning Mindset Podcast, 07 Jan 2022) CAREER PLAN She attended Eastern Washington University in Cheney, WA, United States of America, with the aim of becoming a physical education teacher in the future. "I've wanted to be a teacher since I was little. After being a Para track and field athlete, I feel like I can be a good role model for my students and show them that even though I have a disability I can do everything that everyone else can do. I think it'll help them not make excuses in life." (teamusa.org, 27 Aug 2019)