Noah Yablong is competing in the singles and tennis
doubles competitions at the Paralympic Games in London.
His parents, who live in Ocean Ridge, will be there to
cheer him on, as will his sister Leah.
Tim Stepien / The Coastal Star
By Emily J. Minor
Noah Yablong, the 23-year-old Paralympic athlete whose parents live in Ocean Ridge, is scheduled to compete in both singles and doubles tennis at the international games that run through Sept. 9.
Yablong, who has been competing in wheelchair tennis since he was in middle school, will be paired with doubles teammate Steve Baldwin. That is, when he’s not playing singles.
Yablong has mostly required a wheelchair since he developed a degenerative and debilitating hip disease when he was 10 years old.
But that sure hasn’t stopped him.
His mother, Nan Yablong, said she and her husband, Jeffrey, and their daughter, Leah, will make the trip. It will be the first time the family has been there to watch Noah participate in a world event.
An estimated 4,200 athletes from 22 countries are scheduled to compete in the London competition, and Nan Yablong said they are expecting some fantastic pomp and circumstance.
“The Paralympics have always been the stepchild, but this is really the first that all the media is coming,” she said. “Their opening ceremony is supposed to be just as big as the Olympics.”
Noah was scheduled to leave for the athlete’s villages on Aug. 23. His mom said they are still trying to figure out how relatives and friends in the states can watch the tennis matches.
Nan Yablong suggests followers check on Facebook — just go to Noah Yablong’s Facebook page and click on “Journey to the 2012 Paralympic Games” — which is where they will post details of the matches and the results.
“I also think there is going to be some television, probably on the Tennis Channel,” she
said.
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