Via Maryland Today / By Annie Krakower and Maryland Athletics Staff
Noah Hanssen ’24, MPP ’26, a parafencer for Team USA, is set to compete in wheelchair fencing at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. As a School of Public Policy student, Hanssen is committed to making a local and global impact, with interests in environmental issues, education and international development policy.
Hanssen went from imitating his favorite “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings” characters with toy swords as a kid to becoming vice president of the UMD Fencing Club as a Terp. With support from University Recreation and Wellness in 2022, the group made sure that Hanssen—who has used a wheelchair since he lost the use of his legs in a car accident at age 7—would be able to train safely by purchasing an accessible frame. The apparatus holds two wheelchairs steady at the proper distance and angles for bouts.
That preparation helped Hanssen excel in international competitions, including earning a team silver and an individual gold in saber in May’s Wheelchair Fencing Americas Championships. Now, he’ll compete with the same weapon as part of Team USA’s Paralympic squad.
“It’s been a lot of work to get to this point,” Hanssen said on DC News Now, “but it’s great to see it pay off.”
Read more about other Terp Olympians here.