Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Chloe Chavez of Panhandle, Texas, is going to Chile this month for the Parapan American Games to compete in the 200-meter dash and discus throw. She is the daughter of a Tucumcari native, and her grandparents reside in Tucumcari.
A girl with Tucumcari ties will be part of Team USA in two events at the Parapan American Games later this month in Santiago, Chile.
Chloe Chavez of Panhandle High School in Panhandle, Texas, an amputee below her left knee after a birth defect, will compete in the 200-meter dash and discus throw.
Chavez, a junior, is the daughter of Tucumcari native Terry Chavez and granddaughter of Ted and Rose Chavez of Tucumcari.
The girl was fitted with a prosthetic at 11 months old after the leg was amputated. She was born without a calf bone and heel bone.
U.S. Paralympics Track and Field also announced in December that she was an All-American in the 100 and 200-meter dashes and shot put.
During last year's Moved United Junior Nationals in Colorado, Chavez came home with six gold medals and set a national record in the 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes and threw the shot, discus and javelin.
Chavez says her goal to qualify for the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.
In addition, the girl competes in basketball and cheerleading. In the future, she plans to build prosthetics to help other children with similar conditions.
Family members are holding a 50/50 raffle at $10 a ticket through Nov. 5 to help raise funds for Chavez's travel to Chile. Tickets can be purchased through Facebook Pay to the girl's aunt, Tracy Chavez, or at Venmo at @tracy-chavez-26. Cash donations also can be picked up by a family member.
