SPOKANE, Wash. — For Lindi Marcusen, every step she takes is a step she does not take for granted. The lifelong Spokane athlete is heading to her first Paris Paralympic Games to compete in track and field.
"Movement is so special to me because it, for me, it's one of the best ways to connect with myself and to ground myself in the world,” Marcusen said.
Since she could walk, she was playing a sport, because being an athlete is who she is. "I did gymnastics at Northwest Gymnastics, and I got to the point with gymnastics where I was at a very high level. I did it for 13 years, and I always love moving."
In 2017 her world changed, forever.
"On September 13, 2017, I woke up, and it was the third day after getting back from my honeymoon with my husband, and I moved in with him in Sun Valley. The timeline isn't put together yet, and I don't think it ever will. I had a mechanical failure in my car. My front tire blew on a two-lane highway and caused me to veer into oncoming traffic,” Marcusen recalled.
Marcusen was hit by a Ford at 350 hauling a backhoe and then by a Honda Accord. She had her leg amputated on scene and was so severely hurt she had to be life-flighted to Saint Alphonsus in Boise. "They saved my life, and all the decisions they made were the right ones and were able to give me a second chance,” Marcusen said.
A second chance, but a major setback. For years, Marcusen had to relearn a lot including how to write, walk, drive and eventually run. "I was so disappointed that I was starting from zero again. I was starting from absolute zero,” Marcusen added “I've gotten to the point where I've fully accepted what's happened, and it's just, it was just an event in my life,” Marcusen said.
A year and a half after her accident, she is running to a new beat. "I have a prosthetic leg, and so that is like a race car, and it has to be tuned up, dialed in, and it's a constant, constant thing that you're tweaking,” she said.
Marcusen got connected with David Greig, the Development Director for Parasport Spokane. "We use sport as a catalyst for life. So we work with athletes on their athletic goals, no matter how big or small that they are,” Greig said.
They saw beyond her disability and saw her ability. She possessed all the qualities of an athlete who can go to the highest level of competition. "Drive, grit, determination, unwavering focus that could go on for a while. She just wants to work, she wants to learn. She has a growth mindset,” Greig said.
It's a drive that propelled her to break barriers and records in the sport, as well as earn her a spot on Team USA in the 2024 Paris Paralympics Games. "I don't think you can put it into words, what an honor it is to to represent Spokane, to represent ParaSports Spokane, and then to represent USA at a Paralympic Games,” Marcusen said.
"The most talented, diverse squad repping the stars and stripes at the Paris Paralympics." This is how Team USA described Marcusen and all the athletes representing the country at the Paris Paralympic Games. Team USA announced the 225 team roster on Monday. There are athletes of all abilities from 38 states, including three, ParaSport Spokane athletes representing Team USA, Marcusen will be joined by teammates Lauren Fields and Taylor Swanson at the Paris Paralympic games.
Marcusen takes part in two events including T63 Sprinter/Jumper and 100m/Long Jump.
"What do you hope younger people see when they watch you out there on this stage? What do you hope they take away from that? KREM 2’s Tim Pham asked Marcusen.
“I hope they take away to expand their definition of what a person with a disability can do. You know, not just watching me, but watching the wheelchair racers, watching the throwers, watching everybody in the Paralympics,” she said.
Some may let an accident define who they are, but not Marcusen, she's charting her own path one step at a time. "I just thought my world was over as an athlete, and the title "athlete" is so important to me and means so much to me as an individual, and for them to be there to just guide me through reclaiming that identity in a new way is just like it's so special,” Macusen said.
The Paralympic Games run from August 28th to September 8th. You can watch the games on the Peacock streaming app.