'Huge Responsibility': The youngest U.S. Paralympic Archer to compete in Paris is from the Austin area
CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — The youngest-ever U.S. Paralympic archer is from Central Texas and heading to Paris this summer.
Jordan White, 15, from Cedar Park beat out the 2020 Paralympic archery gold medalist for a spot on the team. Jordan has only been competing in Paralympic archery for a little over a year.
White has an intense level of focus when he practices on a family friend's property in Williamson County. There's a level of precision when he aims every shot at the target.
“Archery is not a sport of finesse," Jordan said. “It's about repetition...It's taken a lot of dedication.”
Jordan practices for hours each day, 5-6 days a week. He's always had to work a little harder.
“I was born with a disability, my right leg is shorter than my left leg," Jordan said.
Though Jordan has played multiple sports, he said he's never been able to really get good at one due to reoccurring medical procedures.
Since he was a toddler, Jordan said he’s had multiple leg-lengthening surgeries. These surgeries have been performed by a specialist in Florida. Jordan endures a months-long recovery process after each procedure. He was still in recovery shortly before he qualified for Paris 2024.
“Having a disability doesn't mean that I can't succeed as an athlete," Jordan said.
His relentless mentality to achieve may be what led him to rise so fast.
“As soon as I made it, to my first para-competition, I changed the wallpaper on my phone to say, Paris 2024," Jordan said. "And ever since then, I've constantly reminded myself that that was my goal. And I was going to accomplish that. And I've looked at my phone every day.”
Going into the 2024 Paralympics with six national records, Jordan reflects on the tough days that got him to where he is now.
“There's a huge sense of responsibility," he said. "I really hope that I can pave the way for other young disabled archers.”
Jordan will compete at the end of August during the Paralympics, and is raising money to ensure he can make it.