Paris, France — The SH6 classification in para badminton at the Paralympic Games and worldwide is for athletes with short stature. Team USA has two such athletes.

Jayci Simon was diagnosed with Geleophysic Dysplasia, a very rare form of dwarfism, when she was seven years old. Miles Krajewski stands at just 4’3″. Both Simon and Krajewski started playing badminton in their youth. Now they’re first-time Paralympians.

“I feel like sometimes I lack self-confidence,” explained Simon. “Being able to make it to the Paralympics reassures my skills and, it’s always been a dream of mine, so now that I’m finally here it’s still like surreal.”

“It feels amazing, just because I’ve always wanted to be one,” said Krajewski. “Finally being one on this stage, it means a lot that I finally accomplished my dream.

Simon, 19, described herself as an “underdog”. Based on the circumstances under which she trained, it’s a fitting description. Simon continued to play basketball, soccer, and softball against average-sized kids throughout her youth despite heavy skepticism from doctors about her ability. She also has no permanent coach or training center at her home in St. Johns, Michigan, a town with less than 8,000 residents.

Simon took up badminton in 2015 and practiced in her backyard. You can still find her doing so- because she has no permanent coach or training center, she takes to playing and practicing whenever she can. And it has paid off.

Just three years after picking up badminton, Simon won a silver medal in women’s doubles in her first international tournament. Elsewhere on the road to Paris, Simon has competed at multiple world championships as well as the 2023 ParaPan American Games in Santiago.

Krajewski, 19, grew up the second oldest of six children in Yankton, South Dakota, a town with barely 15,000 residents. He started playing badminton at just eight years old when he competed in the 2013 World Dwarf Games in Lansing, MI. He’s very active in his free time as well- his hobbies include running, sprinting, biking, and doing footwork drills.

Those hobbies helped Krajewski get his name on the national circuit rather quickly. He competed in his first international para badminton tournament in Ireland at just 10 years old. He’s competed in three world championships, taking home one silver medal as well as a bronze. Krajewski has also participated in the last two ParaPan American Games.

That experience culminated in a career-defining victory on Friday. Krajewski toppled the reigning Paralympic Gold Medalist Krishna Nagar 21-16, 21-18 on Friday night. Krajewski faced an 11-4 deficit in the second and final game but rallied to knot the score at 16. Nagar nabbed the next two points, but five straight from Krajewski capped off his triumph.

The competition at the Paralympic Games may not have gone exactly according to plan for either athlete. Simon has lost both of her singles matches. Krajewski had to wait over two hours past his scheduled time to play in his singles match on Friday due to matches overrunning in addition to falling Thursday. And the duo lost together in doubles competition on Friday. But both Simon and Krajewski still realize what an accomplishment it is to compete in the Paralympic Games.

“Any dream you have is worth trying to achieve,” proclaimed Simon. “As long as you put the hard work in and you’re dedicated, anything is possible.”