This year at the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games, 19-year-old Jayci Simon represented the United States badminton team in women’s singles and mixed gender doubles with her partner Miles Krajewski. Together they took home the first ever badminton medal for Team USA across both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This is also the first time that a U.S. athlete has ever qualified to participate in para-badminton.
Simon has been playing badminton since she could walk. She started out with basketball, soccer, volleyball, dance and gymnastics before being recruited for badminton in 2016 based on her athleticism through the Little People of America and Dwarf Athletic Association of America.
“[Because of this] my mom then got me a backyard badminton set and I started in my grandparents’ backyard,” she said, “which then led to camps and clinics.”
At just the age of seven, she was diagnosed with acromicric dysplasia, a rare form of dwarfism. There were less than 40 cases reported in the world at the time. Due to her condition, she has persisting joint and bone pain. Simon has had around 10 surgeries in her lifetime and grew up going to physical therapy weekly. However, this did not deter her at all.
“As dwarfs we have many physical limitations, [but] this doesn’t stop us from being able to do anything we set our mind to,” she said. “We can do everything everyone else can do, it might just be in a different way!”
Simon went on to compete at the 2017 World Dwarf Games (WDG) and medaled in all 10 events she took part in. She won gold medals in doubles badminton, basketball, the 40-meter run and the 4×40 relay race. She also won silver medals in singles badminton, soccer and shot put and discus.
In 2018, Simon went to her first international tournament, The Pan Am Championships, in Lima, Peru. That was where she realized her passion and talent for badminton.
“It was an eye opener to see that other people like me could compete at such an elite level,” she said. “During that tournament I had also won two medals, and I realized my potential in the sport.”
As she went on to play, she made many memories, both in and out of tournaments, but her favorite match was against 10-time world champion Rachel Choong from England.
“It was my longest match going just over an hour and I won in three sets,” Simon said. “That was my first tournament of the qualification period and an epic win.”
Her continued hard work paid off, as on April 3, Simon qualified to represent the U.S. at the Paralympics. She explains her training process leading up to the games.
“Up until the summer months, I trained without a coach,” she said. “I would create my own workout regime and have my parents throw me shuttles.”
Otherwise, she had two primary coaches she would work with.
“Once every couple of months, I would go to Nebraska to train with Coach Moss [Lattison] for a long weekend,” she said. “During the summer, I was fortunate enough to train at Frisco Badminton with Coach Abhishek [Ahlawat] and the elite team.” (Moss Lattison is the writer’s father.)
For Simon, finding a balance between badminton and other aspects of her life was challenging. During most of the qualification period, she juggled a part-time job, school, as well as training.
“You really just have to prioritize your schedule, but it [leaves] very little free time.”
Simon has plans for the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Paralympics, but while she has the time, she enjoys outdoor activities such as camping, kayaking, biking, hiking and playing other recreational sports. She also likes hanging out with her friends and family.
One of the people she spends the most time with is her mother. Simon looks up to her mom as one of the biggest inspirations in her life.
“She has taught me that in order to accomplish a goal, you have to work hard for it,” she said. “[My mom] is my travel buddy, role model and best friend.”
To those looking to start out in badminton or a sport in general, the silver medalist has a word of advice—she believes that without risk, there is no reward.
“It doesn’t matter how or when, you just have to start!” she said. “I’ve learned that dreams are worth taking risks for. You typically only regret the things you don’t try.”
